 "BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu with MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav (Photo: Screen grab from video posted by @ANI on X) (left) and Congress candidate Nakul Nath during a public meeting (Photo: X/ @NakulKNath)")
BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu with MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav (Photo: Screen grab from video posted by @ANI on X) (left) and Congress candidate Nakul Nath during a public meeting (Photo: X/ @NakulKNath)
Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara constituency has been sending Congress leaders to Parliament since 1950 — barring a brief interlude in 1997. And since 1980, the seat has been within the family of Congress stalwart Kamal Nath.
In 1997, BJP leader Sundar Lal Patwa managed to breach the Congress fortress by defeating Kamal Nath by 37,680 votes in a by-election.
The by-poll took place when Nath’s wife Alka Nath resigned to give way for him to reach the Parliament again. The Congress had not given the ticket to Kamal Nath in 1995 as he was booked in a ‘hawala’ case.
Nakul won the seat at a crucial juncture when Congress was passing through a rough patch, with prominent leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijay Singh losing their elections.
Nakul’s opponent, BJP’s Vivek Bunty Sahu, has persistently challenged the Nath stronghold. In 2018, Kamal Nath, who had become Chief Minister, ran in a by-election for the Chhindwara state assembly seat, which was left vacant for him by his supporter Deepak Saxena. The BJP put forward Sahu as their candidate, and Nath won the election, but only by a margin of nearly 25,000 votes.
Sahu ran once more in the 2019 general elections from the Chhindwara parliamentary constituency against Nakul Nath, but he faced defeat again.
This time, Nakul Nath secured victory by a margin of nearly 35,000 votes, which was lower compared to his father’s win by 1.2 lakh votes in 2014.
Recently, Kamal Nath faced a huge blow when several of his loyalists, including Deepak Saxena, joined BJP.
Adding to that his premises were raided by local police following the complaint of his rival Sahu accusing a top aide of the former chief minister of conspiring to circulate a fake obscene video of the latter.
The BJP, determined to weaken Congress dominance, has intensified its efforts in Madhya Pradesh. High-profile figures like Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a road show in the city and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav too has attended public meetings in support of BJP candidate Sahu, targeting the Nath family’s wealth.
Nakul Nath has emerged as the wealthiest candidate in the first phase of elections, with assets totalling Rs 716 crores.
First Published: Apr 18 2024 | 5:03 PM IST
