{"id":20834,"date":"2024-04-10T09:21:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T08:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newstimers.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/10\/chhindwara-defections-and-emotions-emerge-as-key-poll-planks-in-nath-bastion\/"},"modified":"2024-04-10T09:21:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T08:21:19","slug":"chhindwara-defections-and-emotions-emerge-as-key-poll-planks-in-nath-bastion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newstimers.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/10\/chhindwara-defections-and-emotions-emerge-as-key-poll-planks-in-nath-bastion\/","title":{"rendered":"Chhindwara: Defections and emotions emerge as key poll planks in Nath bastion"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chhindwara, one of the most hotly contested Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, is a constituency the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only once since 1951. This year though, Nakul Nath, son of veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath, is fighting hard to retain the family bastion amid a wave of defections within his party. <\/p>\n

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Veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath with his son and Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath. (Photo from X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Among the top Congress leaders who quit to join the BJP are two former MLAs, sitting legislator and tribal leader Kamlesh Pratap Shah, Chhindwara mayor Vikram Ahakey, local municipal council chairman Ujjawal Singh Thakur and seven municipal corporators. <\/p>\n

Unlock exclusive access to the story of India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now!<\/a><\/div>\n

Nath, who is contesting against BJP\u2019s Vivek Bunty Sahu, has made an emotional appeal to voters by claiming that many of his close aides have \u201ccheated him\u201d by joining the BJP. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe residents of Chhindwara are like our family and they are fighting election with us to defeat cheaters and liars,\u201d he said during a public meeting. <\/p>\n

Many in Chhindwara, however, believe that the Nath family has dented the party\u2019s chances in the Lok Sabha elections by not clearing speculations of the father-son duo joining the BJP in early March. So much so, that Nakul Nath even removed Congress from his social media bio. <\/p>\n

\u201cChanging the bio was a routine thing and the speculation on me and my father leaving the Congress was created by the media. We did not make any such comment,\u201d Nath explained. <\/p>\n

A senior Congress leader expressed confidence of the party\u2019s victory by saying that the core team of Kamal Nath is still with the Congress and is working to ensure his victory. \u201cDespite defection, we have dedicated workers who can\u2019t forget the contribution of Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath for Chhindwara,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Vijay Chaure, the Congress MLA from Sausar, said, \u201cBJP is hatching a conspiracy against Nakul Nath, but they won\u2019t succeed as the voters of Chhindwara are wise enough to understand it. Nobody can deny the work done by Congress here in Chhindwara.\u201d <\/p>\n

On ground, the Congress continues to highlight the Chhindwara development model of Kamal Nath under which, he claimed to have brought industries such as Hindustan Uniliver, Raymonds and others to the region. <\/p>\n

\u201cI did not care about my health and family for the development of Chhindwara. I dedicated my entire life to the development of 2,000 villages in the district. Neither is my name linked to sand mining, nor to anyone\u2019s land…you are witnesses to all these things. When I was the chief minister, people of other districts used to tell me that I am the CM of Chhindwara. I gave everything to Chhindwara,\u201d Kamal Nath said while addressing a rally for his son on April 2 in Pandhurna. <\/p>\n

On the other hand, the BJP is confident of giving the Naths a run for their money in this year\u2019s general elections as an array of top leaders, including Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan have campaigned in the constituency. <\/p>\n

The BJP has made the personal fortunes of Kamal Nath and his son, and dynastic politics the key poll planks to woo voters. Nakul Nath has declared assets of \u20b9<\/span>649.52 crore, while those in his wife Priya\u2019s name amount to \u20b9<\/span>19.20 crore. The assets of the couple amount to \u20b9<\/span>668.72 crore, which is \u20b9<\/span>8 crore more than 2019. In the previous elections, he declared movable and immovable assets of \u20b9<\/span>680 crores. <\/p>\n

The BJP is also trying to make Nakul Nath\u2019s comments against Kamlesh Shah, a Congress MLA who joined the BJP on March 29, as a key poll issue claiming that he insulted tribals. Nath had said that tribals are innocent and of simple nature who cannot be sold out. \u201cBut your elected MLA (Kamlesh Shah) turned out to be traitor or sold himself. I know you are intelligent enough and will vote one-sidedly to teach him lesson,\u201d Nath had said on April 3. <\/p>\n

The CM said Nath was crying foul to save his seat, but in the process insulted Shah and tribals. \u201cIf he had worked hard, he should not be crying. Kamal Nath and his family has not allowed a common person of Chhindwara to contest from there,\u201d Yadav said. Nath responded by saying that calling a traitor \u2018a traitor\u2019 is not an insult to the tribal community. <\/p>\n

BJP candidate Sahu said, \u201cThe BJP\u2019s family has grown bigger, and we know that this time we will win with a record vote margin. In the past 45 years, only the wealth of Kamal Nath and his family increased…they hardly did anything to improve the lives of people.\u201d <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, voters are in a fix. <\/p>\n

\u201cKamal Nath has done a lot for locals, from developing roads and water bodies to setting up multinational companies. We can\u2019t deny his contribution to Chhindwara but we are also impressed with promises of the BJP-led state and central governments and are upset with inflation and unemployment. It will be a tough choice for us,\u201d Kuldeep Patel, a farmer from Pipariya Birsa village, said. <\/p>\n

Shyam Raghuvanshi, a shopkeeper in Pandhurna town of the district, said Chhindwara has been denied development works because the MLAs and MP are of the opposition party. \u201cThis time, we will vote cleverly for development.\u201d <\/p>\n

Chhindwara has 1.6 million voters, and the Congress won all the seats in the 2023 assembly elections. In the past 18 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won only once in 1997 and that too lasted only for a year. Since 1980, Kamal Nath was the MP for nine terms, while his wife Alka Nath and son Nakul became MP one time each. In 2019, Nakul Nath won by a margin of just 37,536 votes. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chhindwara, one of the most hotly contested Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, is a constituency the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only once since 1951. This year though, Nakul Nath, son of veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath, is fighting hard to retain the family bastion amid a wave of defections within his party. 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