Madhya Pradesh | Reclaiming the citadel

After a defeat in the previous election, Jyotiraditya Scindia is determined to win back Guna, once his family pocket borough

Jyotiraditya Scindia at an election campaign in Guna, Apr. 24; (Photo: ANI)

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s convoy arrives at Kadwaya village in Ashoknagar district just as the summer sun begins to set over the harvested wheat fields, and comes to a halt at the chaupal. This is the last meeting of the day for the BJP candidate from Guna Lok Sabha constituency, having started his campaign that morning from Chanderi, the town renowned for its fabric. A group of trumpeters and drummers herald Scindia’s arrival as he ascends a small dais. Addressing the gathered crowd moments later, he invokes his royal family’s longstanding ties with the region—where his grandmother Vijaya Raje and father Madhavrao served as MPs. There’s no mistaking the emotional appeal—evident even in wife Priyadarshini and son Mahanaaryaman’s campaigning in the constituency.