Madhya Pradesh: Nandkumar Singh Chauhan’s son Harsh Vardhan Chauhan for Lok Sabha seat ticket in Khandwa

BHOPAL: Ahead of the bypolls to the Khandwa Lok Sabha and three assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, several leaders in BJP have started staking their claims for a ticket. In Khandwa, supporters of Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, son of former Member of Parliament late Nandkumar Singh Chauhan, have propped him as a successor to the senior Chauhan.
On Monday, Chauhan supporters led by former MLA Manju Dadu called on BJP state joint-general secretary (organisation), Hitanand, at the party's state office.
Harsh Vardhan has emerged as a strong contender for the ticket amid a few names doing rounds in the political circles including BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayavargiya and former minister Archana Chitnis. Sources said that Chauhan supporters have also garnered support from other MLAs in the Lok Sabha constituency.
"Harsh Vardhan is touring the constituency and meeting voters. There are other names too, but, we have to fulfil the dream of Nandu Bhaiyya ji, who played a very important role in the development of Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency. We arrived to talk to Hitanand ji and this was a courtesy call. We will support any candidate nominated by the party," former MLA Manju Dadu told TOI without naming Harsh Vardhan.
She said BJP has a tradition to nominate candidates for the election and all party workers follow the same.
"Harsh Vardhan will take up the development of Khandwa constituency like his father. We support him instead of an outsider," said a BJP worker pleading anonymity.
Harsh Vardhan, however, did not disclose his intentions to contest the by-elections. "My father has a long relationship with the public in the entire Khandwa constituency. Everybody in the family and constituency felt his absence due to untimely demise. I am maintaining those relations as a simple party worker. I have never thought of any political plan and will accept what the party decides. There were speculations in social media about my contesting the by-poll but, I have not discussed it as of now," Harsh Vardhan told TOI.
Sources said that BJP is hoping to sail through the bypoll on the sentimental wave of Nandu Bhaiyya who passed away due to Covid-19 infection in March this year. The Congress is most likely to field former union minister Arun Yadav, who holds sway in the region among OBC voters.