New Delhi: In an embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its Madhya Pradesh unit had to cancel internal elections after discovering that several candidates had allegedly misrepresented their credentials, mostly their age.
MP state president V.D. Sharma told ThePrint that elections to appoint presidents in 18 blocks or mandals had been called off. According to a state functionary, the polls, scheduled between 1 and 15 December, aimed to elect 1,300 mandal presidents and district representatives.
A senior leader revealed that an internal probe had found many candidates had lied about their age. The investigation was prompted by over 100 complaints, and sources said that more block elections could be cancelled.
Already under flak from the Opposition over alleged misuse of EVMs during the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra held in November, this development in Madhya Pradesh has “tarnished the party’s image” and is “a major blunder” by the state unit, workers said.
Free and Fair Journalism Will Continue to be Important in 2025
You are crucial in ensuring that independent journalism thrives. Support us in delivering unbiased, in-depth stories that matter.
According to a state functionary, nobody would have done anything about this fraud had party workers not pointed it out.
Another said the elections were, in any case, an “eyewash” as senior leaders, including MLAs and MPs, were trying to ensure that their favoured candidates were made block presidents. He added the upper age limit of 45 years—introduced by the BJP this time—was invariably flouted in such cases.
Sources said several party workers had threatened to resign if elections went through. One worker pointed out that turncoats from the Congress were all “accommodated” in the candidate list.
Party not shy of taking action, defends BJP
V.D. Sharma downplayed the cancellations, saying this only demonstrated the strength of the party’s “internal democracy”.
“Many polls have taken place. The fact that we have called off some shows we scrutinised every single document…the party is not shy of taking bold action,” he told ThePrint.
He further said many candidates who had missed the age criteria of 45 “by a whisker” had also ended up applying.
Other than lying about age, sources said some candidates had also disobeyed the party’s strict instructions that no one with a criminal record or a history of anti-party activities should apply.
In Seoni district, elections for mandal president were cancelled in North Seoni, Bandol, Bijadevri, Suktra, and Kurai. In Barwani, polls were dropped in Anjad, Chachariya, and Pansemal among others.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
