New Delhi:
In a big setback to Congress, its Lok Sabha candidate from Indore, Akshay Bam, dropped out of the race and joined the BJP today, just days before the constituency goes to polls. Accompanied by BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola, he visited the Collector’s office to retract his candidacy.
Congress had pitted Mr Bam against the incumbent BJP MP of Indore, Shankar Lalwani. Voting for the Indore parliamentary constituency will take place in the fourth phase of the ongoing elections on May 13.
Senior BJP leader and state cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya extended a warm welcome to Mr Bam in a post on X.
“Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore Akshay Kanti Bam is welcome in the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party national president JP Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma,” he said in the post.
This latest move comes just days after the nomination form of Congress leader Nilesh Kumbhani for the Surat Lok Sabha seat was rejected after his three proposers came forward to the district returning officer, stating that the signatures on the document did not belong to them. Similarly, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress’ alternative candidate for Surat, suffered the same fate due to similar reasons.
Mr Kumbhani, a former Surat corporator, had previously contested the 2022 Assembly polls in Kamrej constituency but was unsuccessful.
On April 22, the BJP’s Mukesh Dalal clinched victory uncontested for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency. This came after all other candidates, including one from the BSP, withdrew their nominations one after the other.
