Nakul files nomination, father Kamal Nath by his side

Bhopal: Congress’ only MP from the state in the last Parliamentary election, Nakul Nath, filed his nomination papers as party candidate from Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday.He and his father, former CM Kamal Nath, visited the Hanuman temple in their village Shikarpur, along with family members, on Tuesday morning. Then, Nakul filed his papers at the collectorate, flanked by father Kamal Nath, mother and former MP Alka Nath, and wife Priya Nath. Chhindwara goes to the polls in the first phase on April 19.This is being considered the hottest seat in Madhya Pradesh. Chhindwara is near the Maharashtra and just 120km from the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, yet BJP has never won this seat, except for the 1997 bypoll when former CM Sundarlal Patwa defeated Kamal Nath. But Nath stormed back in the 1998 Lok Sabha election.In 2019, BJP swept 28 of 29 seats, except for Chhindwara where Nakul defeated BJP’s Nathan Shah Kawreti by 37,536 votes. In 2024, BJP’s prime focus is the impregnable Nath fortress though the saffron camp has fielded Vivek Bunty Sahu, who has lost twice to Nath Senior in assembly elections.Sahu will file his nomination papers on Wednesday, accompanied by CM Mohan Yadav and state BJP president VD Sharma.After Nakul filed his papers on Tuesday, Congress held a show of strength, with Kamal Nath leading a 4km road show. PCC chief Jitu Patwari and LOP Umang Singhar also joined the rally.Addressing the gathering, Nakul said, “The Nath family and people of Chhindwara have a family relationship, not a political one.”Recalling the Covid crisis, he said, “When the BJP govt was telling people to clap and beat ‘thalis’, Chhindwara was the only district in MP and the country where there was no shortage of oxygen cylinders and injections.”“I give you my guarantee that Chhindwara’s development will happen at double speed,” he added.Kamal Nath, who first contested and won the seat in 1980, said: “There was a time when in Patalkot, people did not get atta to eat. Now, the youth of Patalkot roam around in jeans and T-shirts. The youth have not seen that old Patalkot. In 1980, there were no roads in Chhindwara and when I visited villages in jeep, I would return with one-and-half kgs of dust on my clothes. Only 400 of 2000 villages had electricity then. Today, Chhindwara is identified as a model of development,” he said.Attacking Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, LOP Singhar said: “Scindia has become a traitor, not a leader. When I asked him, what do you want? He said he had lost the Lok Sabha elections and now his house number 27 (27, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi) will be taken away from him. Where will I live, he asked.”Singhar continued, “You (Scindia) betrayed Congress because of one house. The people of Jhansi still call the Maharaja of Gwalior a traitor. An attempt was made to buy me too, an offer of Rs 50 crore and a ministerial post came, but I am a true tribal and did not leave Congress.”PCC chief Jitu Patwari accused BJP of spreading rumours that Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath were quitting Congress and joining BJP. Taking a dig at Scindia, Patwari said, “Those who have joined BJP are there for two-three days only. A very big leader of our party, I will not take his name, was on the front page of newspapers the day after he left Congress. Thereafter, he was standing in the last row on the third day.”
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