Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Hopes Of A Comeback To Home Ground And Safe Seat Vidisha (image-X/ChouhanShivraj)

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has his eyes on the high-profile seat of Vidisha in the Lok Sabha elections. Political stalwarts such as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1991), former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (2009, 2014), and journalist and founder Ramnath Goenka (1971) have won the seat in past elections.

The five-time MP from Vidisha served as the chief minister of the state for nearly 13 years before Kamal Nath broke the winning streak and replaced Chohan. However, following the crash of the Nath-led Congress government after 15 months as Jyotiraditya Scindia switched parties from Congress to the BJP along with 22 MLAs, Chouhan regained his position for another three years.

However, the veteran leader’s successful and decorated political career began at a young age. Chouhan joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the young age of 13. He participated in the protest movement against the Emergency during the rule of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when he was 16. Chouhan has served as the general secretary and a member of the national executive of the student wing of the RSS, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He became the president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in 1988, and two years later, he won the assembly elections from Budhni constituency. He was sworn in as the state CM in 2005.

The longest-serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan, was replaced by Mohan Yadav as the chief minister of the state in an attempt by the BJP to bring a fresh face into the fray.

Popularly known as ‘Mama,’ Chouhan has made his return to his home ground, the Vidisha constituency, one of the safest for the BJP. The party has been maintaining its stronghold over the Lok Sabha seat since 1989. If the exit polls are to be believed, then the winning streak is expected to continue for another five years.

Standing against him is Pratap Bhanu Sharma, who won the seat in 1980 and 1984, which was also the last time Congress won the seat. It appears that Sharma has been nominated in the hopes of wresting the seat back; however, the battle is tough.