BHOPAL: Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Monday ruled out the possibility of contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha poll from Jabalpur and said he will not leave Chhindwara, his political stronghold in Madhya Pradesh.
“I’m not going anywhere (to any other seat), there is no such plan. I won’t leave Chhindwara at any cost,” Nath said in Chhindwara on Monday."
Importantly, there has been a buzz in the Congress circles in the state, about the party’s central leadership planning to field senior leaders of the state in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
The Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by his son Nakul Nath. Kamal Nath has represented the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency nine times. He is currently an MLA from Chhindwara assembly seat.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding the possibility of the Congress party fielding Kamal Nath as their candidate from Jabalpur.
Meanwhile, the party is considering to field ex-CM Digvijaya Singh or his son Jaivardhan Singh against Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna, former LoP Ajay Singh from Satna seat, ex-MP and former union minister Arun Yadav from Burhanpur-Khandwa, state party chief Jitu Patwari from Indore and current LoP Umang Singhar from Dhar-ST seat.
Speculations are also rife about former state party chief and ex-union minister Kantilal Bhuria being the probable candidate from the Ratlam-ST seat and CWC member and ex-minister Kamleshwar Patel from the Sidhi seat.
Asked about Congress leaders switching sides in Madhya Pradesh, he said, "Suresh Pachouri (former Union minister) joined the BJP. It was his wish."
Veteran leader Pachouri had joined the ruling BJP on Saturday.
On Monday, two other former Congress MLAs Arunoday Choubey and Shivdayal Bagri also joined the BJP.
Kamal Nath said Choubey had already resigned from the Congress.
The buzz of Congress considering fielding its senior leaders in MP, is getting stronger particularly as leaders from the prime opposition party continue to switch over to the BJP.
Just two days after ex-union minister and former state party chief Suresh Pachouri joined the BJP, along with an ex-MP and three former MLAs, two more former Congress MLAs joined the ruling party in Bhopal on Monday.
Those who joined the BJP on Monday included Kamal Nath-loyalist Arunodaya Choubey (ex-MLA from Khurai seat of Sagar district) and Shivdayal Bagri (ex-MLA from Gunnaur-SC seat of Panna district).
On speculation that Congress leader Deepak Joshi might also join the BJP, Kamal Nath said, "Wo toh wahin ke the (he belonged to it)."
Deepak Joshi, son of former BJP chief minister Kailash Joshi, joined the Congress before the 2023 assembly elections after making major allegations against then CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan) too was slated to return to BJP on Monday only.
He had unsuccessfully contested on its ticket from the Khategaon seat in Dewas district.
But owing to a lack of consensus among top BJP leaders in MP, his return to the saffron party seems to have been delayed.
(With inputs from PTI)