Kamal Nath loses his famous address as Chhindwara is bifurcated, new district formed

Bhopal: Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath has ‘lost’ his ‘famous address’, Chhindwara, with the new district of Pandhurna coming into being in Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

Sauser assembly constituency, currently being represented by Mr Nath, now comprises the new district of Pandhurna, carved out Chhindwara district.

Pandhurna has become the 55th district of Madhya Pradesh.

A notification in this regard has been issued by the state government.

“Mr Nath has been identified with Chhindwara for the last 43 years. He has lost his ‘Chhindwara identity’ with the creation of the new district now”, a close aide of the former chief minister told this newspaper.

Mr Nath had represented Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency nine times before vacating the seat for his son Nakul in 2019 Lok Sabha polls after being elected to Madhya Pradesh assembly from Sauser assembly seat, falling under the LS seat, in 2018.

He had not only helped his son win the 2019 LS polls from Chhindwara as a Congress candidate, but also ensured that all the seven assembly constituencies under the parliamentary seat land in the kitty of the grand old party in 2018 polls.

Mr Nath had remained out of state politics for 38 years after he was first elected to LS from Chhindwara in 1980 and took the mantle of the party in Madhya Pradesh in 2018.

He later led the party to victory in Madhya Pradesh in the 2018 assembly polls.

He had introduced him in state politics as a ‘pro-development leader’ by flaunting his ‘Chhindwara model of development’, leading to the industrialisation of the tribal-dominated district.

The BJP is now making serious efforts to breach Chhindwara, considered the impregnable fort of the Congress veteran, in the ensuing assembly elections as well as the 2024 LS polls.

“Creation of new district of Pandhurna, a five-decade-long demand of the local people, is tipped to boost the prospect of BJP in the two assembly constituencies of Pandhurna and Sausar in the year-end assembly polls”, senior BJP leader and former minister Chandrabhan Singh Raghuvamsi who was elected thrice from Chhindwara assembly constituency earlier told this newspaper.

It may also be no smooth sailing for Mr Nath if he seeks re-nomination from Sausar assembly constituency in the ensuing polls, he predicted.

Congress has however said that creation of the new district would have no impact on the party’s prospects in the upcoming assembly elections in Pandhurna and Sausar seats.

“It (creation of new district) is nothing but an election stunt by BJP. People are aware of it”, state Congress media wing chief K K Mishra said.

BJP has meanwhile fielded firebrand tribal leader Monika Bhatti in Amarwara (ST) assembly constituency to wrest it from Congress in the ensuing polls.