The clouds of dust rising from the broken and pot-holed road that leads to the 11th century Bhojeshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, belie the political legacy and history of the Bhojpur constituency that is identified with the temple, a heritage site under the Archaeological Survey of India.
Barely 30 km from Bhopal, the Assembly seat was once represented by the late Sunderlal Patwa, a BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh. He is the only person ever to have defeated Congress leader Kamal Nath in a Lok Sabha election, in his bastion of Chhindwara in a 1997 bypoll. Even now, the Bhojpur Assembly seat is represented by his nephew and BJP MLA, Surendra Patwa, who is seeking a fourth term from here.
