Jyotiraditya Scindia says 'vote for Congress' in slip-of-tongue; old party embarrasses him

In an embarrassing slip-of-tongue, Congress-turned-BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia while addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, sought vote for his ex-party Congress instead of BJP. The video of the incident has gone viral since then with many Congress leaders sharing it on Twitter and claiming that even Scindia is aware that welfare in Madhya Pradesh will happen only if Congress comes to power.

Addressing a poll rally, Scindia said, "Everyone raise their hand with me and take a pledge that you will vote for hand ('panja' - the Congress symbol) and make Congress the ...." He corrected himself promptly and said, "You will vote for Lotus and make BJP the winner."

Watch here: 

READ | Congress stages massive 'anti-Scindia' protest in Gwalior as BJP MP attends party event

A high-octane campaign season is underway in Madhya Pradesh for the byelection on 28 seats. The shifting of Jyotiraditya Scindia from Congress to BJP was the major reason for the fall of the previous Kamal Nath government. Ahead of this major setback to Congress, party's state unit had alleged that BJP is poaching 4 MLAs - two of which have now returned to Kamal Nath's folds.

Soon, 22 MLAs including 6 cabinet ministers - loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia - quit the party, reducing the Congress to a minority government with 92 MLAs.  After Nath stepped down as CM and the Madhya Pradesh Speaker accepted all 22 MLAs' resignation, all of them promptly joined BJP. Three more Congress MLAs have joined BJP since then. 

READ | MVA govt's rift deepens; Congress' Ashok Chavan laments 'our municipalities underfunded'

Scindia's ferocious attacks against Congress

Leading the charge in getting his loyalists re-elected, Scindia has time and again targeted Kamal Nath and veteran Congress MP Digvijaya Singh in his many campaigns across MP. He has often claimed that Kamal Nath put the Madhya Pradesh government office (Vallabh Bhavan) under lockdown for 15 months. Critiquing Kamal Nath, Scindia claimed that Congress has always done fraudulent politics by cheating the people, doing corruption and illegal mining work. Congress has termed Scindia a 'traitor' and 'blackmailer'. Congress has not been as vociferous in its by-poll campaigning as BJP.

READ | Scindia announces '5000 Congress netas joining BJP'; says 'I am not greedy for any post'

Scindia's rebellion had paid off with 12 rebel MLAs being given cabinet portfolios in July's cabinet expansion. Apart from these 12, two rebel MLAs -Tulsi Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput had already been sworn in shortly after CM Shivraj Chouhan took oath, while Scindia himself has been elected to the Rajya Sabha. In the upcoming bypolls, all 14 ministers are in the poll fray. To remain in power with a majority on its own, BJP requires to win 9 seats in the upcoming bypolls. However, BJP faces no danger in MP even if it wins only three seats as they have the support of two BSP, one SP, and three Independent legislators.

READ | Congress terms Scindia 'blackmailer'; claims 'used to coerce Kamal Nath, now Shivraj'