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Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law appointed state MP Congress vice-president
Sanjay Singh Masani who had joined the Congress from the BJP ahead of 2018 assembly elections. unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections from Wareseoni assembly constituency in Balaghat district.
Madhya Pradesh Congress unit president Kamal Nath nominated chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Singh Masani as the vice-president of the grand old party’s state unit on Wednesday, party functionaries said.
But there was confusion over Masani’s role in the party after he initially claimed that he would also act as a coordinator for the publicity campaign for all the 25 assembly constituencies in the state where bye elections are to be held.
However, Kamal Nath’s office denied that Masani was given any responsibility other than that of the party’s state unit vice-president.
Masani who originally belongs to Gondia in Maharashtra joined the Congress from the BJP ahead of 2018 assembly elections. He contested the assembly elections from Wareseoni assembly constituency in Balaghat district, the neighbouring district of Gondia, unsuccessfully while securing the third position with 7.59% of polled votes.
Outside politics, he has also dabbled in films and has done cameos. One of those roles was in the 2018 Bollywood movie Padman.
“The state Congress president told me over the phone that I have to take care of the responsibility of the bypolls. After assuming office I will have meetings with leaders in charge of all the constituencies and then other leaders up to the block level before going ahead with my work,” Masani said.
He described his relationship with chief minister Chouhan as one made by God but said that was not a hurdle to working as a Congressman.
“There is no denying the fact that chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan happens to be my brother-in-law. This relationship was made by God and it will remain forever but as a Congressman I will do my best to ensure the party’s victory on all the 25 seats. For us, various decisions and its implementation by the then Kamal Nath government during its 15-month rule for farmers, youth, women and other sections of society will be the main issue and also how the government was toppled by the BJP under a conspiracy,” he said.
Kamal Nath’s media coordinator Narendra Saluja said, “Sanjay Singh Masani has been appointed as the vice-president of the state unit of the party. He has not been given any other responsibility in the party so far.”
BJP leader Dr Hitesh Bajpai dismissed Masani’s appointment as immaterial.
“Appointment of any individual in the Congress on any post is its internal matter but it will hardly have any effect on the BJP’s prospects in the bypolls. Of course, the state Congress will try a lot of permutations and combinations till the elections as the Congress leaders know the results of the bypolls and the party’s imminent defeat.”
