Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, exercised his voting right in Chhindwara during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, expressing his confidence in the electorate’s judgment. Chhindwara, alongside five other parliamentary constituencies – Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, and Balaghat, underwent polling from 7 am on Friday.
After casting his vote, Nath displayed his inked finger to reporters outside the polling booth, emphasizing his trust in the people of Chhindwara. He stated, “I have full faith in the people of Chhindwara. They are witnesses to the history of the last 44 years, and I am confident that they will stand by the truth.”
Chhindwara holds significance in the state’s political landscape, with the Congress party dominating the seat for over 70 years, except for a brief period between 1997 and 1998. Since 1980, Kamal Nath or his family members have been representing the seat for 44 years. However, in 1997, veteran BJP leader and former CM Sunderlal Patwa defeated Nath in a by-election, although Nath reclaimed the Chhindwara seat in 1998.
Considered a stronghold of Kamal Nath, Chhindwara sees his son, Nakul Nath, contesting for the seat. In the previous 2019 general elections, Chhindwara was the only seat won by the Congress party in the state. Nakul Nath is once again contesting against BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu, who lost to Kamal Nath in the last two assembly polls.
The BJP demonstrated its strength in the Hindi heartland states during the recent assembly polls. In the 2019 elections, Nakul Nath secured 47.1% of the vote share, while the defeated BJP candidate garnered 44.1%.
Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh will be conducted in four phases – April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13, with vote counting scheduled for June 4. Madhya Pradesh comprises 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, with 10 reserved for SC and ST candidates and the remaining 19 unreserved.
