Bhopal: Finally, it's official. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath will contest from Chhindwara seat while Congress's stalwart and former CM Digvijaya Singh is likely to enter the Lok Sabha elections fray.
“I have handed over Chhindwara’s responsibility to my elder son Nakul,” Chief Minister Kamal Nath told a gathering in Chhindwara recently.
The nine-time Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara added, “I served the local populace for four decades and dedicated my youth to them.”
As per rules, Nath, a Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara, will have to get elected to the MP Assembly within six months of assuming office. Nath took oath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on December 17.
Sitting along with his father on the dais, Nakul Nath expressed confidence of winning the seat.
Ever since he was made the State Congress chief ahead of the November 2018 assembly elections in the state, Kamal Nath was keen on introducing his elder son Nakul in the party circle. The day he arrived to take charge as state Congress chief at Indira Bhavan in Bhopal, Nakul sat on the last row of the dais from where his father addressed his first press conference after taking over as PCC chief.
It was speculated at that time that Nakul may contest the Assembly elections from one of the seven seats in Chhindwara LS constituency.
The Nath family is making a strong bid to retain the Kamal Nath’s citadel.
Nakul’s mother Alka, who was elected MP from the constituency in 1986, is leading the campaign for her son.
She has begun her campaign in the Lok Sabha seat by connecting with women party workers.
“You are all my own,” she said while addressing a women’s convention at the district headquarters.
She said Nakul contesting from Chhindwara is like history repeating itself. In 2014, Nath defeated BJP's Chouhdary Chandrabhan Singh by a margin of 1,16567 votes. Nath enjoys undisputed clout in Chhindwara and Mahakaushal region which has sent maximum number of MLAs to the State Assembly in last year's Assembly elections. Nakul’s entry into the poll fray is seen as a setback for the BJP.
Kamal Nath also stunned party workers at a meeting last week when he said Digvijaya Singh may contest from one of the state’s few extremely-arduous Lok Sabha seats where the Congress has not won for a long time.
“A decision will be taken within the next four to five days depending on the winnability strategy adopted in ticket distribution,” Nath said.
The saffron bastions, where the Congress party has not won in the past three decades are Bhopal, Indore and Vidisha.
However, according to sources close to Rajya Sabha MP and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, the leader would have preferred to contest from Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat, which he represented in early nineties.
State Congress media committee chairperson Shobha Oza feels that senior party leaders should contest from toughest seats which will boost morale of party workers.
We want to win maximum number of constituencies. Congress wants to give BJP a tough fight and defeat in every constituency in this Lok Sabha elections,” Shobha said.
