Kamal Nath and his son file nomination papers

CHHINDWARA: Chief minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul filed their

nomination papers in Chhindwara

on Tuesday morning — Nath Senior to contest his first assembly bypoll in a political career spanning 40 years, and Nath Junior making his debut as a Lok Sabha candidate.


This is the first time in Madhya Pradesh that a father and son filed their nomination papers together on the same day, at the same time and in the same district collectorate. Nath Sr and Jr then went out on a ‘

Namankan rally

’, along with six Congress MLAs, on an open vehicle. Also seen on the ‘rath’ was former chief minister and BJP vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s brother-in-law Sanjay Masani, who joined Congress in the run-up to the assembly polls last year. He stood just behind the CM, and shouted ‘Kamal Nath ki jai’.

Have passed on the baton to Nakul: CM

The 5km road show ended at 2pm after which Nath addressed an election meeting at Dussehra Maidan. “Forty years ago, I filed my nomination papers for the first time to contest Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat,” he recalled. “I was the youngster who asked you to give me the responsibility of development of the district. Only 400 of the 2,000 villages in Chhindwara electricity then, and people of Chhindwara town used to receive water supply only two days a week.

There was not a single factory chimney in the district and no trains stopped here, he said. “People could not think that one day there would be a train that would start from Pandhurna (a town of 2 lakh) and go to New Delhi. Farmers did not even think they could harvest soybean. And today’s Chhindwara is before you. We have come a long way, but more development will follow,” Kamal Nath said.

When people on the dais asked him to speak about Nakul, the CM said, “I have passed on the responsibility of Chhindwara’s development to Nakul. Buzurgo ka beta aur aap ka saathi bann ke rahega (he will be a son to the elderly and tour friend). If he doesn’t work, grab him and tear his clothes,” he said. On the dais were Kamal Nath’s wife Alka Nath and daughter-in-law Priya.

Taking a dig at the BJP candidate for Chhindwara Lok Sabha, the CM asked, “I don’t even know the BJP candidate. What is his name?” Some Congress leaders replied, “Nathan Shah.” The CM laughed and said: “I know there is Amit Shah in BJP. Any relation to him?” He said Congress will make history in Lok Sabha in the 2019 election.

Chouhan’s relative sings paeans to Kamal Nath
At CM Kamal Nath’s public meeting, it was none other than former chief minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan's brother-in-law who was seen shouting slogans of, “Jai Jai Kamal Nath”.

Throughout the two-hour road-show, Sanjay Masani was seen standing behind Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath.