Digvijaya Singh unhappy with candidature from Bhopal, 'surprised' BJP might field Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Report

While senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has agreed to contest from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat upon Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's insistence, he has made it clear that he is unhappy with the choice and that he wanted to contest from Rajgarh. This might pave the way for more factionalism within the party, according to a report by NDTV.

The report states that Nath had dismissed the idea of Singh contesting from Rajgarh as a soft option. Singh has won from the seat twice. Bhopal, on the other hand, is expected to provide a tough contest, since it has been a BJP bastion for more than three decades.

"Rajgarh does not befit his experience and stature," Nath told the news channel, adding that he requested Singh to contest from Bhopal, Jabalpur or Indore. "He said I'll think over it, lastly he said 'You decide'. I said 'I have decided you fight from Bhopal," Nath said.

The report, quoting sources, states that this might lead to a fresh set of differences between the two stalwarts, who had reportedly been unhappy with each other even before the assembly elections in the state last year. According to the report, Singh had made it clear before he was given the Bhopal seat that he would not like to contest from the constituency.

However, the report states that Singh's candidature has surprised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has now started considering a formidable candidate for the seat. According to the report, quoting sources, the BJP was earlier considering Bhopal Mayor Alok Sharma or party general secretary VD Sharma. However, they have now decided to field a more prominent face from the seat.

According to the report, while 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has expressed her wish to contest from the seat, the BJP might field former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The report states that Congress expects a number of factors to go in favour of Singh, including the region's Muslim population, which traditionally has voted for Congress.

Congress also holds three of the eight assembly seats that fall under the Bhopal assembly constituency.