Bhojpur weighs choices of MLAs to carry on its rich political legacy

Bhojpur is a mix of issues, aspirations, and political legacies. Voters here are weighing their options carefully, and the outcome of the election will be decided by the finer details.Bhojpur, a constituency near Bhopal, is home to the 11th century Bhojeshwar temple. It was once represented by BJP stalwart and former CM Sunderlal Patwa, and is now represented by his nephew Surendra Patwa. Voters here are a mix of locals, industrial workers, farmers, and agricultural labourers. Issues like poor roads, protecting culture, and corruption are key concerns.

The clouds of dust rising from the broken and pot-holed road that leads to the 11th century Bhojeshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, belie the political legacy and history of the Bhojpur constituency that is identified with the temple, a heritage site under the Archaeological Survey of India.

Barely 30 km from Bhopal, the Assembly seat was once represented by the late Sunderlal Patwa, a BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh. He is the only person ever to have defeated Congress leader Kamal Nath in a Lok Sabha election, in his bastion of Chhindwara in a 1997 bypoll. Even now, the Bhojpur Assembly seat is represented by his nephew and BJP MLA, Surendra Patwa, who is seeking a fourth term from here.

In 2018, the Congress party had fielded former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri here, because of his roots in Bhojpur, but he lost. This time, the Congress is fielding Rajkumar Patel who is, ironically, from Budhni, the constituency of incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

“Patel ji had come here last evening to seek support,” says 26-year-old Rahul Jain, who works in a food stall just opposite the temple, which was built by the 11th century ruler Raja Bhoja. He takes care not to reveal his choice, but says, “There is a contest.” 

Asked if issues like poor roads could be an issue on the basis of which voters will decide, he says, “I don’t know about votes, but better roads would certainly increase the number of tourists who come and that would improve our earnings.”

Voters in the constituency are a mix of local residents, people working in nearby industrial units, farmers, and agricultural labourers. Though there is no regular flow of pilgrims to the temple as regular puja is not done at the  ASI-protected site, local residents make a living by selling religious statues, trinkets, and other curios to the tourists who come to the monument.

“Rajkumar Patel isn’t from here and he has been losing elections earlier too,” says Santosh Yadav, a 34-year-old resident associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “The biggest issue is to protect our culture and pass on better values to our children. And that, only the BJP can do,” he adds.