MP local polls: Congress seeks affidavits pledging loyalty from probable nominees

The municipal elections for 6,507 wards across Madhya Pradesh and 16 mayoral positions will be held on July 6 and 13

Published on: Jun 10, 2022, 10:44:36 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: The Congress has asked prospective candidates for municipal elections in Madhya Pradesh next month to submit affidavits pledging loyalty to the party even if they are not eventually given tickets. Some of them have filed the affidavits promising they would not leave the party or contest as independents.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath cited the demand for tickets and added not everyone will get them. (ANI)

A Congress leader said a large number of Congress workers were seeking tickets and there are three to five probable candidates for each seat. “...there are chances that a person denied ticket could contest the elections either as an independent or on the ticket of another party. This affects the party’s performance... so the senior leadership has decided to ask for affidavits from all probable candidates.”

The municipal elections for 6507 wards and 16 mayoral positions will be held on July 6 and 13. All current mayors in the state belong to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A probable Congress candidate from Bhopal said it is essential to prove loyalty towards the party given the defections to the BJP. “We have submitted affidavits to instil confidence among party leaders...”

The Congress lost power in the state in 2020 after 22 Congress lawmakers quit and later joined the BJP.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath cited the demand for tickets and added not everyone will get them. “...we have to save our party, not a person. We had to take such a decision to strengthen the party.”

BJP state chief VD Sharma said the move shows that Congress is afraid of losing more people. “After losing 28 MLAs [members of legislative assembly], Congress is nervous and it does not want to lose more leaders... so they have come up with this loyalty proof. This shows that the roots and ideology of the party are not strong enough to keep a candidate in the party.”

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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