In an endeavor to connect with his constituents on a profound level, erstwhile Madhya Pradesh head, and seasoned Congress luminary, Digvijaya Singh, articulated that the impending 2024 Lok Sabha elections mark the culmination of his political journey.
Contemplating upon the trajectory of his life, the septuagenarian Congress stalwart recounted a personal anecdote of relocating to Raghogarh subsequent to his father’s demise, wherein he encountered a revered local merchant, Kasturchand Kathari.
Distilling Kathari’s counsel, encapsulated within 12 Hindi verses, emphasized life’s pursuits such as earning sustenance, amassing for adornments and a domicile, and etching a name for oneself.
“In the aftermath of my father’s demise, when I settled in Raghogarh armed with an engineering degree, I encountered the venerable town merchant, Mr. Kasturchand Kathari. He imparted, ‘Raja Saheb, the essence of one’s existence is delineated by the Hindi alphabet… ‘K se Kamai’ (Procure sustenance adequate to support your kin), ‘G se gehna’, (Craft adornments through thrift), ‘Gh se Ghar’ (Should you amass savings to construct a household), thereafter, earn acclaim,'” Digvijaya Singh articulated in a post on X in Hindi.
Acknowledging that the forthcoming general elections of 2024 signify the culminating chapter of his political voyage, Singh introspected on his five decades immersed in politics, leaving the assessment of his efficacy to the populace. He expressed, ‘Fortunate are you, endowed with abundance in sustenance, embellishments, and abode; now, merely ‘earn a name.’ I have earnestly pursued this mandate throughout my half-century tenure in politics. Self-assessment of my efficacy remains elusive, only the populace can adjudicate. This election heralds the denouement of my political journey, and it is the populace who shall determine its triumph. Gratitude, Digvijaya,'” he inscribed.
Hailing from the lineage of Balbhadra Singh, the Raja of Raghogarh (under the aegis of the Gwalior State), Digvijaya Singh inaugurated his political odyssey in 1969, clinching the chairmanship of the Raghogarh Municipal Council. In the aftermath of the post-Emergency electoral debacle of 1977 that decimated the Congress nationwide, Digvijaya secured victory from the Raghogarh Assembly constituency, replicating the feat twice more – in 1998 and 2003.
In 1984, Digvijaya ascended to the Lok Sabha as a parliamentarian from Rajgarh. However, in 1989, he succumbed to defeat in Rajgarh against the BJP’s Pyarelal Khandelwal. The year 1989 witnessed the BJP’s inclusion in the Janata Dal coalition helmed by VP Singh, which ousted the Congress from the Center. In the wake of the subsequent disintegration of the Janata Dal coalition government, Digvijaya reclaimed the seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections. During his hiatus from national politics for a decade-long tenure as Chief Minister, his sibling Laxman Singh clinched victory in the constituency for the Congress on five consecutive occasions.
Presently, Digvijaya Singh serves as a parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha and holds a permanent berth in the Congress Working Committee, the apex decision-making body of the party. In what he terms as his “final electoral foray,” Digvijaya Singh vies for the Rajgarh constituency in the 2024 elections, pitted against Rodmal Nagar, the incumbent BJP MP.
The seasoned Congress luminary, erstwhile representative of Rajgarh in Parliament during the 1980s and early 90s, returns to his native bastion after a hiatus of three decades. The electorate of the Rajgarh constituency is poised to cast their votes on May 7, amidst the throes of the third phase of the ensuing general elections.
