Maihar by-poll on Friday, Gaur calls BJP, Cong candidates 'bikau'

BHOPAL: A day ahead of polling in Mahiar assembly by-poll, state home minister Babulal Gaur raked up controversy by expressing concern over media reports that both the candidates in the fray are turncoats. Polling for Maihar assembly seat will be held on Saturday (February 13) where Narayan Tripathi from BJP and Manish Patel from Congress are main contestants in the fray.
Both the main candidates had switched parties before the assembly by-election as, Tripathi, who was sitting MLA from Congress joined BJP at the instance of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while, Manish Patel, earlier a candidate from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), joined Congress just after by-poll announced for Maihar.
Recalling newspaper reports, home minister Gaur said, Both the contestants from Congress and BJP are bikau (sellable) candidates and not tikau (durable) candidates''. The way both the candidates have switched their parties, it raises concern over their political faith, said Gaur while addressing a felicitation programme on Friday.
Meanwhile, preparations for polling in the Maihar assembly constituency of Satna district are over as election commission has made strict security arrangements to ensure free and fair elections. In all, 15 candidates are in fray with main contest between BJP and Congress.
Victory in Maihar bypoll is not only crucial for Congress, but equally for BJP whose political graph in the country is on a decline after it suffered a drubbing in Bihar assembly and Jhabua parliamentary elections last year. For Congress, the bypoll is a prestige issue as it won the seat in 2013, despite BJP getting over two-third majority in the state assembly. This time, BSP has also fielded former MLA Ram Lakhan Singh Patel and Samajwadi Party (SP) has nominated Ram Niwas Urmalia for the by-election.
A total of 2.27 lakh voters, including 1.19 lakh men, 1.08 lakh women and eight belonging to the third gender, will exercise their right to franchise in Maihar by-elections. Besides state police, six companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed for conducting the polls in a peaceful manner, stated officials of election commission. Counting of votes will take place on February 16.