The Scindias: Moving seamlessly between parties in different elections on their home turf

Jyotiraditya Scindia, a member of the influential Scindia family, switches parties to contest Guna Lok Sabha seat for BJP.

The Scindias, the influential members of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, have moved effortlessly between different political parties when it comes to fighting electoral battles on their home turf and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will carry forward this tradition when he files his nomination as the BJP candidate from the Guna Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh.

Five years after losing unexpectedly from Guna as the Congress candidate, Jyotiraditya Scindia, representing the current generation of the family in MP's politics, is back in the fray in his backyard, but this time as the nominee of his erstwhile political rival and with a different election symbol against his name on the EVM.

The 53-year-old politician is the grandson of one of the BJP founders, Vijaya Raje Scindia, and son of former Union Minister the late Madhavrao Scindia. The Guna Lok Sabha seat, part of the Scindias' home turf which also includes Gwalior, is spread across eight Assembly seats in Guna, Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar districts.

The Congress, looking to settle scores with Jyotiraditya Scindia in the poll fray after it lost its government in Madhya Pradesh following his exit exactly four years ago, is yet to name its candidate from Guna.

It was a rare electoral shock for former Gwalior royals when the Union Minister for Civil Aviation faced defeat in 2019 at the hands of the BJP candidate and his old loyalist, K.P. Yadav, by a margin of around 1.26 Lakh votes.

In 2024, Mr. Scindia is again testing electoral waters, but under the banner of a different party – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the political home to his parental aunts – former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and ex-MP-Minister Yashodhara Raje.

But the Guna Lok Sabha constituency's history suggested the Scindias have never fought their first and last elections from the same party.