Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office at Jabalpur ruckus created by party workers on Saturday evening over ticket distribution as candidates of their choice failed to make it to the fifth list of the candidates for the next month's Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. The embarrassing incident happened in front of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.
The police took action and booked a few protesting persons.
"Three persons have been arrested on the charge of obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty based on the complaint lodged by Yadav's security guard. Other persons involved in the incident are being identified," Superintendent of Police AP Singh said.
A group of BJP workers are seen in a video that is viral on social media jostling around Yadav. He is an in-charge of the MP BJP election campaign committee. A few workers are seen hurling abuses against each other while engaging in manhandling. Some people hit a security person who tried to pull out a revolver while trying to control the situation.
They had heated exchanges with senior leaders, including Yadav and Rajya Sabha member Kavita Patidar, at the party office soon after the fifth list of 92 candidates was released.
When contacted, BJP's district president (Jabalpur) Prabhat Sahu said senior party leaders were present in the office when the demonstration was staged and it is up to them to decide.
The ruling party has so far declared 228 out of 230 candidates for the forthcoming elections except for the Guna and Vidisha seats.
Row over ticket given to Abhilash Pandey
The BJP workers staged a protest after the ticket was declared for Abhilash Pandey from Jabalpur North who is considered an "outsider" by local leaders, said the sources. Similar incidents als reported from other places in the state.
Protests in Gwalior
The supporters of former MLA Munnalal Goyal staged a road blockade protest in Baradari area in Gwalior. Former minister and MLA Anoop Mishra, a close relative of late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who failed to get a ticket, said the anger among party workers may harm the party's prospects in the November 17 elections.
"If party workers campaign in BJP's favour it will help the party," Mishra said insisting that he is a sepoy of the party who takes orders.
Congress watched gleefully and took potshots at MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
MP Congress media department's chairman KK Mishra said Chouhan was targeting the opposition party over the ticket distribution, but on the contrary, the BJP's election in-charge Yadav has to face the wrath of the party workers.
Even Yadav's security guard had to be protected by others, he claimed while sharing a video of the Jabalpur incident.
"Chouhan should mention the cost of the BJP ticket," Mishra stated on X.
A video showing a group of people blocking and attacking the vehicle of BJP turncoat Deepak Joshi, who joined Congress recently, at Khategaon in Dewas district also surfaced on social media.
The protesters broke the vehicle's windows and showed black flags opposing Joshi's candidature from Congress.
In a tweet, Joshi indicated that Congress leaders were behind this incident.
(With PTI inputs)
