MP Elections 2023: Triangular Contest Likely In Mhow As Darbar Quits Congress

Indore/Mhow (Madhya Pradesh): Two-time MLA from Mhow, Antar Singh Darbar, resigned from Congress and announced he would be contesting from Mhow as an Independent candidate, thus setting up the stage for a triangular fight in the constituency.

Dominated by tribals, Mhow is one of the 9 constituencies of the district, and hosts the army cantonment area.

“I am contesting the election not to make someone lose but to win myself,” he said on Thursday.

So far elections in Mhow have always been bipolar and the main fight has been between the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

However, with Darbar throwing his hat into the ring, the Mhow constituency is expected to witness a triangular flight between the Congress, BJP and Darbar. Darbar had won this seat on a Congress ticket in 1998 and 2003.

This time, the BJP has repeated tourism and culture minister Usha Thakur as its candidate and she will take on Ram Kishore Shukla of the Congress. Shukla had recently crossed over from BJP to Congress.

For past two decades Darbar has been one of the tallest Congress leaders of Mhow and realising this both former chief minister Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh have tried to dissuade Darbar from contesting the polls.

Rejecting all offers, Darbar said, “Even though I have lost the elections thrice (2008, 2013 and 2018), I have kept the Congress alive in Mhow.

Referring to Congress party’s decision to give the ticket to Shukla, he said, “Winning or losing is not everything. Congress has given ticket to a person who has worked non-stop against the Congress in Mhow for years. The common Congress worker can never accept this and hence I am contesting following pressure from the party workers.”