In MP, BJP had given tickets to 14 people above 70 years of age
The bharatiya janata party (BJP)’s decision to field 14 candidates above 70 years of age in the Madhya Pradesh
assembly elections proved beneficial and 11 of them won. The oldest person among them is 80 years old. The
bjp retained power in the state by winning 163 seats in the 230-member assembly and pushed the congress to
second place with 66 seats, which is less than the 114 seats the congress had won in the 2018 elections.
Former state minister nagendra Singh Nagaud (80) won from Nagaud in Satna district, while nagendra Singh
(79) won from Gudh in Rewa district. Jairam Shukla, a political observer and former editor of Charaivati, a
monthly magazine brought out by Pandit Deendayal Vichar Prakashan in Madhya Pradesh, said, Both Nagod
and Singh, members of the previous assembly, expressed their reluctance to contest the elections about five
months ago.
These were the candidates above 70 years of age
Jayant Malaiya (76) from Damoh, Jagannath Singh Raghuvanshi (75) from Chanderi in Ashok nagar district,
Sitasharan Sharma (73) from Hoshangabad in Narmadapuram, and Bisahulal Singh (73) from Anuppur seat also
won the election. Other aged bjp leaders who will reach the assembly in the 2023 elections include Hazarilal
Dangi (72) from Khilchipur in Rajgarh district, Premshankar Verma (72) from Seoni-Malwa in Narmadapuram,
Jaisingh Maravi (71) from Jaitpur in Shahdol district, Sagar. Gopal Bhargava (71) from Rahli of the district and
Ajay Vishnoi (71) from jabalpur Patan are also included. However, Durgalal Vijay (71) from Sheopur seat,
Gaurishankar Bisen (71) from Balaghat and maya Singh (73) from gwalior East lost the election. In 2016, Sartaj
Singh (then 76) was dropped from the shivraj singh chouhan cabinet, reportedly due to old age. When he was 78
years old, he was denied a ticket in the 2018 assembly elections. Singh left bjp and contested Hoshangabad seat
on congress ticket but was unsuccessful.