BJP’s Shankar Lalwani secured the Indore Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday with a staggering margin of over 10 lakh votes. This victory, marked by an impressive lead over the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option, potentially sets a new record in the annals of India’s electoral history.
Lalwani, the incumbent MP from Indore, received a total of 12,26,751 votes. His closest rival in this election was the NOTA option, which garnered 2,18,674 votes. This unprecedented scenario placed NOTA in second position, trailing Lalwani by 10,08,077 votes. Bahujan Samaj Party’s Sanjay secured the third spot with 51,659 votes.
A BJP spokesperson asserted that Lalwani’s victory margin could be the highest ever recorded in the country’s elections. Lalwani first made his mark in national politics with a successful debut in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The Indore constituency also witnessed a significant number of voters opting for NOTA, making it the second most popular choice in the Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha seat. This reflects a notable level of voter discontent or preference for none of the available candidates.
The Congress party faced a major setback in Indore when its candidate, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew his nomination on April 29, the last date for nomination withdrawal. Subsequently, Bam joined the BJP, further consolidating the party’s dominance in the region.
The BJP has maintained a stronghold over the Indore seat since 1989. Prior to Lalwani, Sumitra Mahajan, who served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019, represented the constituency for eight consecutive terms.
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Shankar Lalwani, born on October 16, 1961, in Indore, has a long history of public service. Before entering the Lok Sabha, he was a Councillor in the Indore Municipal Corporation from 1994 to 1999 and served as its Chairman from 1999 to 2004. In 2013, he was appointed Chairperson of the Indore Development Authority.
Since his election to Parliament in 2019, Lalwani has been an active participant in several key committees. He has served on the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House, the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Consultative Committee on the Cooperation Department, the Consultative Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and the MSME National Board.
