Congress Fields Praveen Pathak To Breach BJP Bastion Gwalior South (image-Facebook/Praveen Pathak)The Indian National Congress (INC) has placed its bets on Praveen Pathak as the Lok Sabha candidate from the Gwalior South seat. Believed to be close to former Union Minister Suresh Pachauri, Pathak is pitted against BJP’s Narayan Singh Kushwaha.
Traditionally a bastion of the BJP and its previous versions such as Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and Hindu Mahasabha, the Gwalior (South) constituency is the birthplace of former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. With a temple honouring Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse in Daulatgunj, the region is also the native of five of the founding members of the right-wing Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Moreover, the region has five Shishu Mandir Schools backed by RSS. Incidentally, Pathak has also studied in one of these schools.
The Lok Sabha seat is also known for the Scindia family’s rule for several years. Vijaya Raje Scindia, known as Rajmata of Gwalior, was elected in 1962, Madhavrao Scindia in 1984 to 1991 on a Congress ticket, and Vasundhara Raje Scindia’s sister Yashodhara Raje Scindia in 2007 and 2009 on BJP ticket.
Breaching the Gwalior constituency, a BJP citadel of hyper-nationalism and Hindutva, is extremely tough. Interacting with the people at a grassroots level through pad yatras, and using an app called Pragaman, a portal for candidates to apply online for party tickets to contest in general and assembly elections, Pathak was able to breach the saffron party’s fortress.
In the 2022 municipal elections, Pathak’s app brought together the local leaders and voters and, for the first time in five decades, Congress won a mayoral seat. The party won seven out of the 20 wards from its usual win of 2–3 wards. Pathak reached out to farmers, women self-help groups, businessmen, traders and caste influencers as part of a social integration programme.
“Development can only be achieved if societal ideals are based on love, mutual respect, and inclusiveness. Future generations will be hugely indebted to Rahul ji’s concept of ‘mohhabat ki dukan’. I realised this during my mass contact programme and canvassing,” Pathak said as quoted by India Today.
The Gwalior South Lok Sabha seat comprises eight Vidhan Sabhas including Gwalior Rural, Gwalior East, Gwalior, Gwalior South, Bhitarwar, Dabara (SC), Karera (SC), and Pohari. The population makes up 19.7 percent SC community, 5.2 percent STs, and 5 percent Muslims.