SIDHI: Just like Budhni, Churhat constituency needs no introduction. Tucked away in the north-east part of the state, Churhat was once the stronghold of former chief minister Arjun Singh. For the past 20 years (four terms), this has been the constituency of leader of opposition Ajay Singh, who now leads his father’s political legacy and faction in the Congress party. This also makes Churhat an undisputed Congress bastion which since 1977 has elected a BJP candidate only once. In 1993, Ajay Singh was shifted to Bhojpur in a strategic move to contest against former BJP chief minister Sundarlal Patwa. No one from the family of Arjun Singh contested from the seat in that assembly election and BJP’s Govind Prasad Mishra defeated Congress Chintamani Tiwari by a margin of 2,427 votes.Churhat also struck headlines in the media recently after BJP alleged that chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Jan Ashirwad Yatra rath was stoned in Patpara area of the constituency. The controversy refused to die after a young man working as an employee at a local petrol pump alleged that police forced him to name certain persons to be involved in the stone hurling incident.If Congress is not willing to give a “cakewalk” to Chouhan in Budhni by fielding former Union minister of state and OBC face Arun Yadav as party candidate, the BJP too has tried its own calculations against LoP Ajay Singh. The ruling party has for the second-time fielded Sartendu Tiwari, grandson of former MP Chandra Pratap Tiwari, who defeated Arjun Singh from Churhat assembly seat in 1967. BJP’s desire is to repeat history 50 years later.Ashish Tripathi of Rampur Naikin in Churhat assembly segment said, “Defeating Ajay Singh would be no less than a miracle here. Every village has families that have unflinching loyalties to Dausahab (Arjun Singh).”Ajay Singh admitted that votes are still cast in his favour because of his father’s work and reputation. “There are limitless connects between my father and people of not just Churhat, but the entire Rewa division. Most development work here was done when he was chief minister and Union minister. And when people came to meet him. There will be two or three persons in every village to tell my father’s stories,” Ajay Singh told TOI.A greenhorn compared to Ajay Singh, BJP candidate Sardendu Tiwari cannot match Ajay in popularity. But on Sunday, he addressed the BJP rally in the constituency before arrival of party national president Amit Shah. “Congress for decades promised to give roti-kapra-makan to the poor.They gave the slogan of garibi hatao (poverty irradication). But poverty remained in the country. It was the BJP that started giving wheat and rice at Re 1 per kg to the poor so that no person would ever say there is no roti at home,” Sardendu Tiwari said.

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