Bhopal: As the heartland turns saffron confirming the wave of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a nascent party makes its way to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly by defeating the grand old Congress party. Thirty-three-year-old Kamleshwar Dodiyar from the Bharat Adivasi Party contested from Sailana and defeated veteran leader Harsh Vijay Gehlot by 4,648 votes. As per reports, Dodiyar won with 71,219 votes and Gehlot of Congress secured 66,601 votes. The BJP's Sangeeta Charel bagged the third position.
Hailing from a poor family in Bhopal, the Dodiyars live hand-to-mouth. Even the hut that they live in has to be covered with a tarpaulin to protect themselves from rainfall. His mother Sitabai Dodiyar was toiling at her workplace, completely unaware that her son was inching towards electoral victory in the last phase of counting. When they learned of his victory, their happiness knew no bounds. The family expects Kamleshwar to work for the needy in the district.
Kamleshwar completed his schooling from Sailana in Ratlam. After completing his graduation, he worked as a labourer in Kota, Rajasthan for four years. Later, he joined Jayas (an organisation that has significant influence in tribal-dominated districts). As per reports, he took a loan of Rs 12 lakhs to contest the polls. Sailana recorded the highest voting turnout in the state with 90.08 per cent votes. In this Assembly election, parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to open their accounts.
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