Lok Sabha elections: Khajuraho's 'Rani' confident of winning seat for Congress

BHOPAL: Congress took BJP by surprise in Bundelkhand by announcing the name of Kavita Singh from the royal family of Chhatarpur for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll. Popularly known as 'Rani sa'ab', she is wife of the Congress MLA Vikram Singh Natiraja and will contest the Khajuraho seat.

Now, the BJP has started a fresh exercise in selecting its candidate from this constituency.

In the ten Lok Sabha elections between 1980 and 2014, the Congress could win Khajuraho only thrice in 34 years. In 1980 and 1984, Vidhyavati Chaturvedi and in 1999 her son Satyavrat Chaturvedi won from this seat. For four consecutive times from 1989 to 1998, Uma Bharti dominated the political scene here.

"It was always a local candidate who would win in Khajuraho, comprising 8 assembly segments from Chhatarpur, Panna and Katni", said political observers.

Congress candidate Kavita said, "I am a local candidate and am definitely going to win the election. I am the 'bahu' of Chhatarpur and 'beti' of Panna".

President of the nagar panchayat in Khajuraho, Kavita said she has been working closely with the people of the region.

Like other royal families in India, the royals of Chhatarpur are also immensely respected by the people of the region, said Ravindra Vyas, a senior journalist from Bundelkhand. "Elderly people of the region and those living in rural areas still have emotional connect with the royals of Chhatarpur", he said.

Though traditionally Rajputs are an influential community in the region because of its history -Chattarpur was founded by Bundela Rajput ruler Chhatrasal - but population-wise it is dominated by OBC and SC communities. Often Thakurs in general are termed as perpetrators of atrocities against the weaker sections.

"BJP may go for a Brahmin or OBC candidate. Before Nagendra Singh won the 2014 elections, Uma Bharti and Ramrishna Kusmaria were from the OBC category," BJP sources said.

Samajwadi Party will also field its candidate and may give ticket to a Thakur or Yadav, party sources said.