Lal Krishna Advani has started his Pradhan-Mantri-Pad-Yatra on a somewhat inauspicious note. The BJP was trounced in Sanver (Assembly) and Khargone (Lok Sabha) by-elections, polling for which was held after Advani was declared as the prime ministerial candidate. Both were strong BJP bastions, the Congress winning there only occasionally.

Arun Yadav of the Congress, contesting an election for the first time, won in Khargone with a margin more than double that of Krishna Murari Moghe (BJP) who was elected from there in 2004 and was later disqualified for holding an office of profit. In fact, Arun Yadav's victory margin far exceeds the margin of any of the previous winners in all the elections held in Khargone after 1980.

With these, the BJP has lost in Madhya Pradesh four by-elections in quick succession. The other two, Shivpuri and Lanji Assembly seats, were also with the BJP before the by-elections. While the Congress had won in Shivpuri, the Lanji seat was wrested by the Samajwadi Party.

The by-election results show the growing disenchantment among the people who had returned the BJP to power with a thumping majority in 2003 after 13 years. Its leaders have been busy in internecine fights rather than addressing the pressing problems of the people. Corruption is rampant. There is no such thing as law and order.

The Congress organisation, too, is in a shambles. Subhash Yadav was made PCC chief about four years ago but he has not been so far allowed to constitute his executive body. In a vain show of his authority, he has appointed nearly two-dozen party spokesmen, most of them working at cross-purposes. It cannot be said that he is really popular either in the party or among the people, though he was elected MP from Khargone in 1980 and 1984 and was Deputy Chief Minister in the Digvijay Singh government. He hates Digvijay Singh and is hardly on talking terms with Leader of the Opposition Jamuna Devi.

Arun Yadav is Subhash Yadav's son and he has won from Khargone with such a huge margin not because of Subhash Yadav but in spite of him. In his campaign, Arun did not invoke his father's name; instead he pleaded with the people not to punish him because of their anger against his father but decide after taking into consideration his (Arun's) own work in the constituency. The posters put up by Arun, as part of the campaign did not have Subhash Yadav's photograph.

While the Congress organisation remains moribund, the people had a whiff of fresh air in Jyotiraditya Scindia, MP from Guna, who has started taking quite an active interest in the State. He is youthful, without a blemished past and inspires confidence. The Congress victories in Shivpuri, Sanver and Khargone could be attributed to his hard work. Lanji was left to Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and the Congress candidate has landed a poor third there.

If the Congress in Madhya Pradesh is completely disorganised, the problem with the BJP is that its workers feel alienated from the few who are enjoying the fruits of power.