Election Results 2019: BJP’s Pragya Thakur Wins In Bhopal

BJP's Sadhvi Pragya Thakur won the election in Bhopal against Congress' Digvijay Singh, a two time Chief Minister. Thakur is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast. During the day she said, "I will definitely win. My win is the victory of dharma, destruction of adharma."

Bhopal has been a BJP dominated position for past 30 years, with Congress' last victory from the city came in 1984. The BJP was ahead in 28 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress was leading in one seat. Thakur's surprise ticket to the party created a stir last month. Thakur is an accused in terror activities including a bomb blast in Malegaon town of Maharashtra in 2008.

Why Sadhvi?

BJP president Amit Shah has termed Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur’s candidature as a “Satyagraha” against the Congress' conspiracy of defaming Hindu religion. During her campaigns she talked about the issue of nationalism and said to have planned to lead a ‘Dharam Yudh’.

Sitting BJP parliamentarian from Bhopal, Alok Sanjar told NDTV that the party is in full support of Sadhvi. “No allegation was proved against her. A woman was harassed. Now it’s time for revenge,” Sanjar added.

The BJP projected her candidature as “minority appeasement” in politics as per reports. In choosing her name from Bhopal, the BJP, in its party chief Amit Shah’s words, has ensured that “the mastermind of the conspiracy to raise the bogey of Hindu terror” is punished.

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Sadhvi's win should worry India?

As far as Thakur's extremist views go, immediately after her candidature was announced for the Bhopal seat, she described Digvijay Singh as an “anti-Hindu leader who called Hindus terrorists”. Thakur has been making embarrassing headlines. She claimed that she was one among the people who demolished Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 and that she was “proud” of it. She even went on to term Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a “patriot”, fuelling the controversy. Thakur has been served many EC notices for violating Model Code of Conduct and for stirring up communal feelings.

Calling Thakur's remarks detrimental to society, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he will never forgive her for insulting Mahatma Gandhi by calling his assassin Nathuram Godse a true patriot. He reportedly even banished her from the roads and campaigns before the election.

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Pragya later apologised for her comment in a statement. "It was my personal opinion remark. My intention was not to hurt anyones sentiments. If Ive hurt anyone I do apologise. What Gandhiji has done for the country cannot be forgotten. My statement has been twisted by the media," she said.

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