Kamal Nath

Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara: A Congress citadel which BJP wants to breach

As Kamal Nath's grip on Chhindwara weakens, the BJP intensifies its efforts to dismantle the Congress stronghold in Madhya Pradesh

LS polls: Kamal Nath fighting lone battle to help son win Chhindwara

With many of his close associates leaving his side, it is virtually a lone battle for Congress stalwart Kamal Nath to help his parliamentarian son Nakul Nath win from Chhindwara for a second time amid the BJP's aggressive push to wrest the seat. Chhindwara is the only Lok Sabha seat in MP which the BJP lost in 2019. As the polling date of April 19 nears, campaigning in Chhindwara seems like a family affair for Naths. On the other side, a number of senior BJP leaders have visited the constituency to campaign for their party candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu in this prestigious seat in Madhya Pradesh's Mahakoshal region. The BJP won from Chhindwara against the Nath family only once in the last 44 years. Last year, Sahu was defeated by Kamal Nath in the assembly poll from Chhindwara. MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who has visited Chhindwara six times during the poll campaign, raised the issue of "local vs outsider". He termed Sahu a local, and Kamal Nath, who hails from a business family o

LS polls: Kamal Nath aide, former Congress minister Dipak Saxena joins BJP

Former Madhya Pradesh minister and four-time Congress MLA from Chhindwara Dipak Saxena and his supporters joined the BJP on Friday night. MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomed Saxena, a close aide of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, into the ruling party. Saxena, who quit the Congress on March 22, said he was joining the BJP as he was influenced by the works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Yadav and state BJP chief VD Sharma. Earlier, his son Ajay Saxena had joined the BJP. "The Congress has become aimless under Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath, sitting MP from Chhindwara. My father was being marginalized and the workers too were being ignored in Chhindwara for the last six years. That is why my father took the decision to part ways with the Congress," Ajay Saxena said. Dipak Saxena had quit his Assembly seat when Kamal Nath became CM in 2018 so that latter could become an MLA. On March 29, Kamal Nath loyalist and Amarwara MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah crossed

Dedicated entire life for development of Chhindwara, says Kamal Nath

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday said employment generation is his biggest priority and he has facilitated the setting up of skill development and driving learning centres in Chhindwara district for the purpose. Nath, the Congress MLA from Chhindwara, said he has dedicated his entire life for the development of the place and will serve the people of his constituency till his last breath. Today, Chhindwara has its own distinct identity in the country, he said addressing a public meeting in Gumtara under the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency, from where his son and sitting Congress MP Nakul Nath is contesting the upcoming parliamentary poll. Kamal Nath said his name is not linked to any sand mafia, liquor trade or any contractor and people are witness to it. "Employment is my biggest priority. The children who are educated till seventh-eighth standard can also get jobs through skill development and driving learning centres which were set up because of my ..

Congress mayor from Kamal Nath's home turf Chhindwara joins BJP

In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its leader and Chhindwara mayor joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Monday morning. Vikram Ahake, the mayor of Chhindwara, joined the BJP in the presence of MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state party chief VD Sharma in state capital Bhopal. Last week, Kamlesh Shah, the Congress legislator from Amarwada in Chhindwara district and a close associate of party stalwart Kamal Nath, had joined the BJP. Chhindwara, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 19, is the home district of former state CM Nath. Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, has filed his nomination papers from Chhindwara, which his father Kamal Nath has represented for nine terms in Parliament. The BJP has fielded Vivek Bunty Sahu from this seat. Kamal Nath is currently the MLA from the Chhindwara assembly seat. His wife Alka Nath was elected from the Chhindwara Lok

Ahead of LS polls, Kamal Nath's close aide, other functionaries join BJP

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a close associate of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and some other functionaries of the opposition Congress joined the ruling BJP on Monday. The Bahujan Samaj Party's state in-charge also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Syed Zafar, a former Congress spokesperson, joined the BJP in Bhopal in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the party's state head VD Sharma. Zafar, a native of Chhindwara, was considered a close associate of Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath. As per his profile on X, he was currently holding the post of MP Congress general secretary. However, state Congress media department chairman K K Mishra said Zafar was not holding any post in the party at present. Earlier this month, there were speculations that Nath might switch over to the BJP, but he refuted such reports as "creation of media." Besides Zafar, MP Congress general secretary Maneesha Dubey, some other party leaders and B

Won't leave Chhindwara: Kamal Nath on contesting LS poll from Jabalpur

Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Monday ruled out the possibility of contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha poll from Jabalpur and said he will not leave Chhindwara, his political stronghold in Madhya Pradesh. The Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by his son Nakul Nath. Kamal Nath has represented Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency nine times. He is currently an MLA from Chhindwara assembly seat. Asked if he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Jabalpur, a prominent parliamentary segment in Mahakoshal region of MP, Kamal Nath said, "There is no plan. I will not leave Chhindwara in any case." He was talking to reporters in Chhindwara. The former CM had on earlier occasions said his son will contest from Chhindwara. Asked about Congress leaders switching sides in Madhya Pradesh, he said, "Suresh Pachouri (former Union minister) joined the BJP. It was his wish." Veteran leader Pachouri had joined the ruling BJP on Saturday. On Monday, two other former Congress

Setback to ex-CM Kamal Nath as 7 Cong corporators from Chhindwara join BJP

In a setback to Congress veteran Kamal Nath, seven corporators of his party from the Chhindwara Municipal Corporation in Madhya Pradesh have joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The corporators raised the slogan "Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar" (Modi government once again) as they and their supporters joined the BJP at the residence of state urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya in state capital Bhopal late Tuesday evening. The corporators were impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development works, a BJP release said. Chhindwara is the stronghold of former state chief minister Kamal Nath, who is currently the Congress MLA from this assembly seat. The development comes at a time when the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is passing through the state. The seven corporators who joined the ruling party are Roshni Sallam, Leena Tirkam, Santoshi Vadiwar, Deepa Mohre, Jagdish Godre, Chandrabhan Thakre and Dhanraj

Congress leader Kamal Nath says buzz of his switch over created by media

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Tuesday said the speculation of his switch over to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was created by the media as he never made such a statement. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Nath was talking to reporters after reaching Chhindwara, his home turf in the state. There has been intense speculation over the future moves by 77-year-old Congress veteran Nath, despite repeated assurances from his associates and senior party leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Jitendra Singh that there are no plans for him to cross over to the BJP. Asked about it, Nath said, "You (media) are making such speculations and nobody else is saying so. Have you ever heard from me? You run the news and ask me...You should refute this news." Notably, Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya recently said the BJP does not need Kamal Nath and its doors are closed for him. Meanwhile, when asked about farmers being affected by hailstorms and unseasonal rains recently i

Kamal Nath to take part in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from March 2 to 6

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath will take part in the Madhya Pradesh leg of the Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', a party functionary said on Friday. Nath will reach Gwalior on March 2 and attend the yatra till March 6, a Congress spokesperson said. The yatra will enter Morena from neighbouring Rajasthan on March 2 and will cover Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ujjain, Dhar and Ratlam before re-entering Rajasthan on March 6. Nath recently was at the centre of speculation that he and his Chhindwara MP son Nakul Nath were planning to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile, several Congressmen from Nath's stronghold Chhindwara joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Yadav, speaking on the occasion, said many were feeling anxious and would eventually join the BJP.

Speculation of Kamal Nath's switch creation of media and BJP: Cong leader

Congress general secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said there is no truth in the speculation of senior party leader Kamal Nath joining the BJP and claimed such talks were a creation of the media and the saffron party. Singh, the AICC in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, arrived in Bhopal on Tuesday in the backdrop of suspense over former CM Kamal Nath's next move and escalating tension within the state Congress. There has been intense speculation over future moves by Congress veteran Kamal Nath, despite repeated assurances from his associates on Monday that there are no plans for him to leave the party and cross over to the ruling BJP. Asked about the speculation over Nath's next political move, Singh told reporters, "All these things are raised by the media and the BJP. There is no truth in it." He arrived here to attend a Congress meeting to review preparations ahead of the entry of party leader Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Madhya Pradesh. On the reason behind

Congress dismisses speculation of former MP CM Kamal Nath switching to BJP

The Congress on Monday dismissed as "misinformation" the speculation over party leader Kamal Nath's possible switch to the BJP and asserted that the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister will participate in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state. The assertion by Congress general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh came amid speculation that Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath, a Lok Sabha MP, may cross over to the ruling BJP. "Kamal Nath ji is a senior leader of our party. All these speculations have been made by the BJP and the media. I spoke to him yesterday and the day before yesterday also and we discussed the preparations of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra," Singh told reporters at the Congress headquarters here. "I am going to Bhopal tomorrow and meetings are taking place with MLAs, various committees and MPs. Kamal Nath ji will also join those meetings and his suggestions for the yatra's passage will be taken note of. Kamal Nath will prominently .

Several Cong MLAs loyal to Kamal Nath reach Delhi amid talk of joining BJP

Around half a dozen Madhya Pradesh MLAs loyal to senior Congress leader Kamal Nath reached Delhi on Sunday amid speculation that he and his MP son Nakul Nath are set to join the ruling BJP. Three of these MLAs are from Chhindwara, while another three from the region are set to leave for Delhi, sources close to the veteran leader said. Nath, a nine-time MP from Chhindwara and currently MLA from the seat, is a former chief minister who was removed as the party's state president following the Congress' dismal performance in the November Assembly polls. These MLAs were not answering calls, with some Congress insiders claiming Nath loyalist and former state minister Lakhan Ghangoriya was also camping with them in Delhi. Deepak Saxena, former MP minister and Nath loyalist told reporters in Chhindwara he was hurt by the way the latter was removed as state unit chief following the Assembly debacle. "We want out leader to be accorded all respect. Whatever decision he takes, we will be with

After Kamal Nath, reports claim Manish Tewari giving thought to BJP switch

A source close to Manish Tiwari said the speculations linking the Congress old-timer to the BJP were all 'rubbish' as he was busy working for the people of his constituency

If there's any such thing, will inform you: Nath to media on switch to BJP

Amid speculation that he could cross over to the BJP, senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath arrived in the national capital Saturday afternoon and said if there would be any such thing, he would inform the media first. In his brief interaction with reporters, he asked them not to get excited. Asked if he is joining the BJP, Nath said, "If there would be any such thing, I would inform you first." When a reporter asked if he was not denying a possible switch, Nath said, "It is not about denying, you are saying this, you people are getting excited. I am not getting excited, this side or that side, but if there would be any such thing, I would inform you first." Over the past few days, Nath had been on a tour of his bastion Chhindwara, from where he had been an MP for nine terms. His son Nakul Nath won the seat in the 2019 polls, even as the BJP swept the remaining 28 seats in the state. Asked about the speculation that Nath could cross over to the

Cong's Kamal Nath arrives in Delhi amid speculation over switch to BJP

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath arrived in the national capital Saturday afternoon amid speculation that he could cross over to the BJP. Over the past few days, Nath had been on a tour of his bastion Chhindwara, from where he had been an MP for nine terms. His son Nakul Nath won the seat in the 2019 polls, even as the BJP swept the remaining 28 seats in the state. Asked about the speculation that Nath could cross over to the BJP, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said in Jabalpur earlier in the day, "I spoke to Kamal Nath at 10.30 pm yesterday, he is in Chhindwara." "A person who started his political journey and stood with the Nehru-Gandhi family when Indira Gandhi was sent to jail by the Janata party, do you think such a person will ever leave Congress and the Gandhi family?" Singh said. Kamal Nath is said to be disgruntled over not getting a Rajya Sabha berth and also Rahul Gandhi being opposed to him since the party lost the assem

Won't contest upcoming Lok Sabha elections: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh

Congress veteran from Madhya Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh, has ruled out contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "The question of contesting the elections does not arise because I am a member of Rajya Sabha and still have over two years (of the RS tenure) left," Singh told reporters in Khilchipur town in Rajgarh district on Saturday. Notably, Singh had contested from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat in 2019 but lost to BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur by a margin of 3.65 lakh votes. Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat is the home turf of Singh who hails from the Raghogarh assembly segment (Guna district) which falls under the Rajgarh parliamentary constituency. Singh had represented Rajgarh LS seat in 1984 and 1991. He said the Congress party will decide the candidate for Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency. Of the total 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP holds 28 and the Congress one. In the assembly elections held last year in MP, the Congress recorded a worst performance under Singh and another vet

Congress replaces Kamal Nath with Jitu Patwari as party's MP unit chief

The Congress replaced Kamal Nath as the party's Madhya Pradesh unit chief on Saturday and appointed Jitu Patwari in his place. The development comes days after the party's humiliating defeat in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, where the Congress, led by Nath, failed to replace the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Sources said Nath was asked to tender his resignation soon after the poll results were out. Nath met party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and tendered his resignation thereafter. "The Congress president has appointed Shri Jitu Patwari as the president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect," an official communication from the party said. "The party appreciates the contributions of outgoing PCC president, Shri Kamal Nath," it added. "The Congress president has also approved the proposal of the appointment of Shri Umang Singhar as the CLP leader and Shri Hemant Katare as the deputy leader of Madhya Pradesh," the statement said.

Congress leader Kamal Nath meets Madhya Pradesh CM-designate Mohan Yadav

"The oath ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow, December 13," Yadav said speaking to reporters on Monday at Bhopal

205 lawmakers in MP crorepatis; BJP MLA tops list with Rs 296-cr assets

As many as 205 of the 230 newly elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh are crorepatis with state Congress president Kamal Nath figuring among the three richest lawmakers with more than Rs 134 crore worth of assets. The average assets of the MLAs stood at Rs 11.77 crore. Newly elected BJP MLA from Ratlam City, Chaitanya Kashyap, tops the list with declared assets worth Rs 296 crore, while his party colleague Sanjay Satyendra Pathak (Vijayraghavgarh) was at the second spot with Rs 242 crore assets, according an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report. It said the number of MLAs possessing assets worth more than Rs 1 crore increased to 205 in 2023 from 187 in 2018. Of these crorepati MLAs, 144 are from the BJP and 61 from the Congress. The BJP swept the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, winning 163 seats, increasing its tally from 109 in 2018. The Congress, which had won 114 seats in 2018 in the state, was reduced to 66 seats, while new entrant Bharat Adivasi Party managed to win in one .