MP: Amarwara by-election, an acid test for Kamal Nath

Bhopal: The July ten by-election to Amarwara Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh may prove to be an acid test for Congress veteran Kamal Nath in the wake of the loss of Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat in the state, considered his family bastion for the last 44 years, to BJP by the grand old party in the recently held LS polls.

Mr Nath’s son Nakul who was seeking re-election from Chhindwara LS seat in the outgoing polls was defeated by BJP candidate Bunty Sahu by a margin of over one lakh votes.

By-election to Amarwara Assembly constituency which falls under Chhindwara LS seat necessitated with the sitting MLA Kamalesh Shah resigning from the house before the LS elections.

Mr Shah, once considered a close aide of Mr Nath, subsequently quit Congress and joined BJP.

BJP has already declared Mr Shah as party candidate for Amarwara.

However, the Congress is yet to finalise its candidate for the seat.

“Mr Nath has already started the exercise for selection of a candidate for Amarwara”, a senior Congress leader here on Saturday said, unwilling to be quoted.

In the last Assembly elections, Congress had won all the seven Assembly seats, including Amarwara, under Chhindwara LS constituency.

Sources said that Congress may explore the option of roping in a leader from Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), a tribal political outfit with considerable influence among the people in the region, to field in Amarwara.

Congress is facing an uphill task to find a party candidate with winning prospects in the by-election after Mr Shah’s exit from the party ahead of the LS elections, a senior party functionary said.

Besides, around 2,000 Congress activists in Chhindwara resigned from the party and joined BJP before the LS elections, he added.

“We are going to field a candidate with a winning prospect. We will surprise our rivals with our choice of party candidate”, another Congress leader said.

BJP has however exuded confidence of winning the seat in the by-election.

“We have already announced our candidate. Congress is still struggling to find a suitable candidate for the seat”, BJP state secretary Rajneesh Agrawal said.