BJP nominates Dalit seer, farmer and woman leaders as RS poll candidates from MP

Instead of selecting popular and senior leaders of the BJP, the party decided to select leaders who would have an impact on people belonging to different categories and communities, a party leader said

Published on: Feb 14, 2024, 20:53:50 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced four candidates– a farmer leader, a woman leader and a Dalit seer for the Rajya Sabha election from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP has retained L Murugan, the minister of state (MoS) for information and broadcasting, for the second tenure for the Rajya Sabha, and it has named three other candidates (Representative Photo)

While the party has retained L Murugan, the minister of state (MoS) for information and broadcasting, for the second tenure for the Rajya Sabha, it has named three other candidates – Bal Yogi Sant Umeshnath Maharaj, a Dalit seer and the head of Ujjain’s Balmiki Dham Ashram, party’s women’s wing head Maya Naroliya, and BJP’s Kisan Morcha president Bansilal Gurjar.

Umesh Nath Maharaj was named from Ujjain, Maya Narolia from Narmadapuram and Bansilal Gurjar from Mandsaur.

Instead of selecting popular and senior leaders of the BJP, the party decided to select leaders who would have an impact on people belonging to different categories and communities, a party leader said. “BJP is setting up an example that they give preference to every worker of the party. Earlier too, the party has sent three women of different castes to Rajya Sabha,” the BJP leader added.

Also Read: Union ministers Vaishnaw, Murugan BJP’s Rajya Sabha candidates from Odisha, MP

A representative of the Valmiki community, Umeshnath has an influence on both the BJP and Congress parties. He had the status of minister of state during the Congress rule and had also received eight state honours. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to Union home minister Amit Shah have come to his ashram to seek his blessings.

“I will continue to work like this for social harmony and religion. I will do good for everyone. It is very important to understand some points,” he said after his nomination.

Gurjar was appointed as a non-official (independent) director on the Board of Housing & Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) in January 2022 but is a popular farmer leader from Ujjain. He is the vice president of BJP Kisan Morcha. Mandsaur is known for leading the farmer’s agitation in 2017

“I am happy that the party gave me a big responsibility and I will work for the welfare of farmers,” Gurjar said.

To woo women voters, the BJP has named the party’s state women wing president Naroliya from Narmadapuram.

Meanwhile, the Congress nominated senior leader Ashok Singh for Rajya Sabha. Singh is stated to be close to Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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