Madhya Pradesh election: Jyotiraditya Scindia's gambit worked as BJP dominates Gwalior

In March 2020, Rahul Gandhi's trusted friend Jyotiraditya Scindia dealt a body blow to the Congress as he walked out of the party with 22 MLAs, bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. While Shivraj Singh Chouhan was crowned as the chief minister, the Maharaja was given a plum post at the Centre.

As the assembly election approached, there was disquiet in the saffron party owing to factionalism. There was a rivalry between the BJP old timers in the state and the Congress turncoats that Scindia brought with him. Both factions were vying for tickets and it appeared that this may hurt the party's prospects.

As the poll battle heated up, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi called him a “traitor”. In a jibe, Gandhi said that Scindia was short in height but his arrogance was big.

Despite the attacks, from the Congress and from within his party, Scindia's gambit turned out to be a success. As the BJP is poised for a massive win in Madhya Pradesh, the party dominated in the Gwalior, region which is a Scindia stronghold.