If Hoshangabad lives up to its reputation, Sunderlal Patwa could end up in the same boat this year as Arjun Singh in 1998: a sinking one. But the BJP dismisses the Congress claims that the ?giant killer? would repeat its feat. In the battle of ?outsiders? being waged on the banks of the serene Narmada, Patwa, the BJP heavyweight and former chief minister, is facing Raj Kumar Patel, a minister in the Digvijay Singh government. Patwa is aware of Hoshangabad?s unpredictable nature ? it proved to be Arjun Singh?s Waterloo ? and is leaving nothing to chance. The BJP leader is operating from the home of former Union minister Sartaj Singh, who had humbled Arjun. Sartaj was sulking after being denied a BJP ticket but it was important to win him over, as the politician-industrialist?s committed team of workers could make or mar Patwa?s fortune. The Congress battle is being fought by proxy. Senior leader Kamal Nath, candidate from Chhindwara, has taken it upon himself to ensure Patwa?s defeat. ?I had challenged Patwa to contest from Chhindwara but he chickened out. So I have come here to campaign for Patel,? said the beaming Kamal Nath, apparently recovered from his loss to Patwa in a Lok Sabha byelection in Chhindwara two years ago. Sources close to Kamal Nath alleged that Patwa had tried to field film star Shatrughan Sinha in Chhindwara. ?He wanted to restrict Kamal Nath to Chhindwara so that he could have a smooth sailing in Hoshangabad. But Sinha declined to contest. Being a Rajya Sabha member, he was in no mood to lose a Lok Sabha election,? said a Madhya Pradesh Congress leader. What both the Congress and the BJP are afraid of is ?internal sabotage?. Partymen hostile to chief minister Digvijay Singh alleged that he wanted to ?bail out? Patwa and, therefore, had fielded a lightweight against him. These leaders claimed that Patwa and the chief minister had made a deal to keep Uma Bharti and Arjun Singh out of Madhya Pradesh politics. ?Last year, Patwa played a role in the defeat of Arjun Singh. This year, Diggy Raja wants him to ensure Uma Bharti?s loss in Bhopal,? the disgruntled leaders said, pointing out that Digvijay was staying away from Hoshangabad, campaigning in distant Bastar. True to the state?s tradition of infighting, the Arjun camp has offered little help to Raj Kumar Patel. Arjun loyalist and former minister Hazarilal Raghuvanshi invited Patwa?s wife for a meal, raising eyebrows. Raghuvanshi denied any plot. ?I invited his wife because she is my bhabi (sister-in-law). Moreover, it is part of our tradition to play host to outsiders, even if they are political adversaries,? he said. The Patwa camp is not a picture of unity, either. Local leaders admit that the former chief minister is not relying on local BJP workers. ?He has got supporters from Neemech and Mandasaur. About 70 jeeps carrying party workers have come from Patwa?s home district to man booths spread over 2,500 villages,? said a local BJP leader, between mouthfuls of puri-bhaji. Patwa is totally dismissive about his opponent, citing Patel?s huge loss to him in Bhojpur in 1990. Countering this argument, Patel said Patwa was in the ?habit? of winning and losing alternately to a rival. ?He won against Kamal Nath in Chhindwara and then lost. I lost from Bhojpur, so it is my turn to win,? he said bravely. If faction feuds were not enough, the rains are adding to the candidates? woes as it hinders their access to voters. Voting, which was to take place on September 18, has been postponed in Hoshangabad and Vidisha due to torrential rain. The downpour is bad news for the candidates, who are desperate to drive home poll issues to an indifferent electorate. If Sonia Gandhi?s foreign origin was not an issue here, how could voters be bothered about local ?outsiders?, asked Ramakant Chaudhry, a resident of Itarsi. ?The issues here are the same as in the rest of the country: poverty, development, roads, power, employment. Candidates come and go but the problems remain,? he said with a touch of philosophy.