Vidisha (MP): The 2009 Lok Sabha poll was a cakewalk for BJP leader Sushma Swaraj as the nomination of her Congress rival Rajkumar Patel was cancelled at the eleventh hour in Vidisha constituency but retaining that kind of victory margin is a major challenge before her this time.
In order to give a tough fight to BJP in Vidisha, which has been its stronghold since the last 25 years, Congress has fielded party General Secretary Digvijay Singh's younger brother and former MP Laxman Singh.
Sushma had won the Lok Sabha polls from Vidisha in 2009 with a huge margin of 3,89,844 votes by defeating Samajwadi Party's Choudhary Munnawar Salim in the absence of any challenge from Congress.
'I am confident that the people of Vidisha will enhance my victory margin to over four lakh votes (this time) as I have shouldered my responsibility as an MP with full dedication and honesty,' Sushma said during campaigning.
In 2009, Patel's nomination was rejected on technical grounds at the eleventh hour, following which he was expelled from the party for six years and re-admitted recently when he had filed his papers as an independent candidate from Vidisha seat.
Sushma is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that her victory margin is enhanced to over four lakh votes in 2014 and party leaders, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are campaigning in the constituency with full vigour.
Vidisha Lok Sabha seat came into existence in 1967 and since 1989 BJP has won it nine times, while Congress bagged it twice in 1980 and 1984.
