The BJP is banking on veteran SC leader from Mandsaur Jagdish Devda , and a former home minister. “I am contesting this election on the instructions of the party high command. I do not consider myself a scapegoat but feel proud to challenge Congress. I am not depending on the numbers game, but appealing to the members to vote for me with their conscience,” Devda said.As a matter of tradition, the Deputy Speaker post is offered to the Opposition. In the previous assembly, for instance, Congress’s Rajendra Singh was the Deputy Speaker. But after the high-voltage fight for Speaker, both parties have crossed swords over the Deputy’s chair too.“We are fighting against the conspiracy of Congress government, which is ready to murder democratic values in the state. Congress cheated us during the appointment of pro tem Speaker. It also played dirty politics during the election of Speaker. We have urged the Governor to send an observer for the Deputy Speaker election so that the Congress game plan be exposed,” said Bhargava.BJP had demanded a secret ballot in the Speaker election, but it was decided by voice vote and all N P Prajapati got all 120 ruling alliance votes. BJP has made the same demand for the Deputy’s election to test Congress’s strength in the House. However, Congress challenged BJP to try and wrest the post. “We have majority in the House and displayed it in the election of Speaker. BJP failed to support us and now will also lose the Deputy Speaker’s post. We will not compromise,” said legislative affairs minister Govind Singh.Earlier, it was believed that if BJP agrees to the Congress nominee for Speaker, the ruling party was likely to offer the Deputy’s chair to BJP. But the saffron party went into battle with 109 members to the ruling alliance’s 121. Now, it risks losing both posts. TNN

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