Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath faced a setback as seven corporators from his party in the Chhindwara Municipal Corporation in Madhya Pradesh switched allegiance to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The corporators, along with their supporters, joined the BJP at the residence of state urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya in the state capital Bhopal on Tuesday night, chanting "Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar" (Modi government once again).
According to a release from the BJP, the corporators were swayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development initiatives. Chhindwara is the stronghold of former state chief minister Kamal Nath, who is currently the Congress MLA from this assembly seat. The development comes at a time when the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is passing through the state.
Who are these seven corporators?
The seven corporators who joined the ruling party are Roshni Sallam, Leena Tirkam, Santoshi Vadiwar, Deepa Mohre, Jagdish Godre, Chandrabhan Thakre and Dhanraj Bhavarkar, the BJP release said.
There has been speculation over the future moves of Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath, who is the Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara, even as both of them have said they do not intend to cross over to the BJP.
Out of the total 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP bagged 28 in the 2019 general elections while the Congress won only the Chhindwara seat. It should be noted here that Kamal Nath has represented the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat nine times.
India TV-CNX Opinion Poll: BJP to sweep all 29 seats including Chhindwara in MP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win all 29 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, India TV-CNX Opinion Poll predicted on Tuesday (March 5). The BJP had won 28 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, the lone Congress MP and Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath is likely to lose the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh, predicted India TV-CNX Opinion Poll. The BJP had also swept the Assembly elections in 2023 and formed a majority government in the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
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