Kamal Nath’s son says ‘he will contest from Chhindwara, not his father’

Nakul Nath, sitting Congress MP from Chhindwara.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Congress Lok Sabha MP and son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, Nakul Nath said on February 5 that he will be contesting the parliamentary polls from his seat, Chhindwara., once again.

Addressing the public in Parasia, Chhindwara, in his father’s presence, Mr. Nakul Nath said, “For the Lok Sabha (elections) I will be your candidate. There are rumours afloat on who will contest. I want to make it clear that Kamal Nath ji will not contest but I will. There will be complete support and guidance from his side.”

Mr. Nath is currently the only Congress Lok Sabha member from the State, representing his father’s pocket-borough of Chhindwara which he won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

Mr. Nakul Nath has claimed the seat even though no official word has come from the Congress regarding any of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the State.

He said that the Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls are “quite different”. “In Assembly polls, there is groupism as there are too many candidates. But in the Lok Sabha polls, there is no groupism because there is only one candidate,” he added.

“You have all given your love and blessings to Kamal Nath ji and the Nath family for 42 years and I am assured that you will do the same in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” Mr. Nakul Nath said.

On February 3, Mr. Kamal Nath, who won form the Chhindwara Assembly segment had said that the party will make the final decision on who will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Chhindwara. 

Earlier before the November Assembly polls, Mr. Nakul Nath had also declared the Congress’ candidates for the Assembly seats falling under Chhindwara before the party’s official announcement. 

Even though the party faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the BJP and only managed 66 seats in the State, it won all seven Assembly seats in Chhindwara.