In Madhya Pradesh, State Congress President Kamal Nath, who lost the post of Chief Minister midway in March 2020, is trying hard to bring his party back to power, but he is facing a tough fight from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this assembly election in his stronghold Chhindwara. Getting challenged. Outgoing Chhindwara MLA Kamal Nath (76) is contesting against BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu in the assembly elections to be held on November 17. Kamal Nath presents himself as a ‘Hanuman devotee’ while Sahu is known as a ‘Shiv devotee’. There was a fight between these two in the 2018 assembly elections also and Kamal Nath defeated Sahu by a margin of 25,837 votes. Since then Sahu is trying to avenge his defeat. BJP has made him its candidate in this election also and the party has deployed its entire organizational machinery with him.
BJP candidate Sahu is the former president of the party’s Yuva Morcha in Chhindwara district and he knows very well the approximate number of voters of which caste and religion are there in this constituency. BJP is leaving no stone unturned to defeat Kamal Nath in the elections. There is every possibility that Kamal Nath will become the Chief Minister if Congress wins. Six months ago, the BJP district unit had launched a campaign by placing binoculars on a vehicle and saying it was searching for Kamal Nath, who had “missed” from Chhindwara after winning the last election. Through this campaign, BJP had tried to prove that the former Union Minister is not working for his constituency despite winning. Many people feel that this move of BJP is aimed at keeping Kamal Nath confined to Chhindwara. In fact, out of 16 elections in Chhindwara since 1957, BJP has won only three times while Congress has won 13 times.
Both the candidates boast about their religious leanings to attract the voters of Chhindwara. Chhindwara Assembly constituency is a part of Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency and both the constituencies are known by the same name. Kamal Nath, the face of Congress in Madhya Pradesh elections, is not letting any opportunity go to show himself as a devotee of ‘Sankatmochan’ Hanuman. He had installed a more than 102 feet tall statue of Hanuman in Chhindwara. Similarly, BJP candidate Sahu is also not behind in showing his devotion towards Lord Shiva. He had installed an 84 feet high statue of Lord Shiva in Chhindwara this year. Like Kamal Nath, he starts his election campaign only after offering prayers. Before the elections, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath had hosted 27-year-old preacher Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham. Shastri has often advocated declaring India a ‘Hindu nation’.
The former Chief Minister had also hosted another controversial preacher Pandit Pradeep Mishra in Chhindwara. Mishra openly advocates the establishment of Hindu Rashtra. This step of Kamal Nath was also criticized by some people of his own party. In August, Kamal Nath had hit back at those criticizing Shastri for hosting a three-day religious event in his home constituency, saying there was no need to say that “India is a Hindu nation because 82 per cent of Indians are Hindus.” Are the same.
Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had recently said in a press conference in Chhindwara, “I see Kamal Nath ji’s love for Hindu sentiments, sometimes as a devotee of Hanumanji.” It is good that the religious ritual took place here.” He said, ”But why are you not speaking against the disrespect shown towards Sanatana Dharma by your friend and colleague, the son of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge? ?” BJP’s election managers from Delhi and Bhopal are camping in Chhindwara in an attempt to turn the tide in favor of their candidate. Not only this, the BJP team from Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is also working day and night to oust Kamal Nath from his own constituency. But Congress leader Kamal Nath has been such a political force that he has won the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat a record nine times since 1980.
A member of Ahmedabad Deputy Mayor Bipin Ramswaroop’s team told PTI that the team will leave from Chhindwara only after the voting is over on Friday. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s Gujarat unit leader Mohit Telwani said on the night of Diwali, “We are working day and night to ensure that this time BJP demolishes Kamal Nath’s fort.” By saying this, Congress is seeking votes from the people. His vote is important not only for the bright future of Chhindwara but also for Madhya Pradesh because if the party wins, Kamal Nath can become the Chief Minister. Sahu said, “I have 100 percent confidence of victory in the elections.”