The BJP has been holding Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, where about 4.5 lakh of the 18 lakh voters are Muslim, since 1989. Born in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, Thakur has had a long association with the Sangh parivar. Thakur had recently said she was ready for a "Dharm Yudh". "I am ready to take on Digvijaya Singh if the sanghatan (organisation, apparently referring to the BJP) asks me to do so," Thakur had told PTI last month.
An NIA court had dropped charges against her under the stringent MCOCA but she and other co-accused are still facing other charges in the Malegaon case. The Bhopal constituency is spread over eight assembly segments, — Berasia, Bhopal Uttar, Narela, Bhopal south-west, Bhopal central, Govindpura, Huzur and Sehore.
Among other candidates, K P Yadav will be the BJP nominee from Guna, which is held by senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who is contesting again from here. The BJP has named Raj Bahadur Singh and Ramakant Bhargav as its nominees from Sagar and Vidisha respectively. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had won from Vidisha in 2014 but she had announced that she will not fight polls this time due to health reasons.
Madhya Pradesh goes to polls in four phases for its 29 Lok Sabha seats. Madhya Pradesh will began its Lok Sabha election polling fourth phase onwards in which six seats will vote on April 29. On May 6, seven seats will go for polls, while in the fifth phase and in phase six on May 12 eight seats will vote. In the last and seventh phase, eight seats will vote on May 19.