Neelam Mishra vs Janardan Mishra: Rewa’s history gives hope to Cong candidate pitted against BJP stalwart

Bhopal, April 5 (IANS) Although Rewa may not be rated as among the high-profile Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh, the upper caste-dominated constituency will witness a tough fight between the ruling BJP and the Congress. 

While the BJP has retained its two-time sitting MP, Janardan Mishra, the Congress has fielded former BJP MLA, Neelam Mishra against him.

Neelam, wife of MLA Abhay Mishra, was elected as MLA from the Semariya seat in 2013, however, the couple shifted into the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in November last year.

Though Janardan Mishra won two-consecutive elections (2014 and 2019) from Rewa, however, he could not make an impact among the people.

He will once again be dependent on a BJP wave and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s aura, to win the Lok Sabha election for the third time.

On the other hand, Neelam and Abhay Mishra are trying to give a tough challenge to the sitting MP on their own steam because the Congress is yet to bounce back from the stunning defeat it suffered in the Assembly elections.

Notably, Abhay Mishra was the only Congress candidate to win the Assembly election from Rewa (Semariya), while the BJP bagged seven seats in 2023.

The BJP had won all eight Assembly seats of Rewa in 2018 and the victory in the Assembly election made Abhay Mishra emerge as a promising politician.

Perhaps this was the reason the Congress picked his wife Neelam as a candidate.

Rewa Lok Sabha constituency is known for its inconsistency in electing members for the Lower House of Parliament.

Since the beginning it has been a Congress and BJP stronghold, but Independent candidates were elected twice and the BSP also won three Lok Sabha elections in 1991, 1996 and 2009 here.

Aware of the constituency’s electoral history, Madhya Pradesh Congress President, Jitu Patwari, while addressing a rally on Thursday said, "Politics is in the blood of Rewa's citizens and they have always shown the door to those who failed to meet their expectations. Rewa has always experimented in electing Lok Sabha MPs.

“When many fear the BJP's ruthless politics, I believe that the people from the White Tiger’s land will support the Congress."

Sundarlal Tiwari, son of former Assembly Speaker, Srinivas Tiwari, was the last Congress candidate to win the Rewa Lok Sabha seat in 1999. The Congress fielded his son Siddharth Tiwari in 2019, however, he lost against the BJP's Janardan Mishra, and now Siddharth is a BJP MLA from the Teonthar Assembly seat.

Rewa's erstwhile maharaja, Martand Singh had won two Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate (1971 and 1980) and once on the Congress’ symbol in 1984, while, renowned social worker Yamuna Prasad Shastri won Rewa Lok Sabha seat for the Janata Party in 1977.

The newbie Congress candidate Neelam Mishra, is from the rival camp of BJP leader and Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla, who has made Rewa his base in the last few years.

In the real sense, the fight for Rewa will be more between Rajendra Shukla and Abhay Mishra rather than Janardan Mishra and Neelam Mishra.