In Chhindwara, the Congress and BJP are vying for the top spot. Will Kamal defeat 'kamal' in his own backyard?

 In Chhindwara, the Congress and BJP are vying for the top spot. Will Kamal defeat 'kamal' in his own backyard?

76-year-old Congress veteran and Chhindwara's current MLA, who describes himself as a devoted "Hanuman bhakt," is up against BJP candidate and "Shiv bhakt," Vivek Bunty Sahu, in the assembly elections on November 17.

President of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Kamal Nath, whose term as chief minister ended prematurely in March 2020, is resuming his efforts to lead his party to power in the state, but he will have to contend with a formidable opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in his home district of Chhindwara.

76-year-old Congress veteran and Chhindwara's current MLA, who describes himself as a devoted "Hanuman bhakt," is up against BJP candidate and "Shiv bhakt," Vivek Bunty Sahu, in the assembly elections on November 17.

In the 2018 assembly elections, Nath defeated Sahu (44) by a margin of 25,837 votes, putting the two of them at odds once again.

Since then, Sahu has been attempting to exact revenge on his opponent by running for the seat again with the backing of the well-oiled BJP organisational apparatus.

As the previous head of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha for the Chhindwara district, the BJP candidate is well-versed with the voter profile and caste combinations of the star constituency.

In an attempt to snub Nath, who is most likely going to become the chief minister should the Congress win the polls, the saffron party is not holding back.

The district unit of the BJP conducted a campaign six months ago, atop a car with a binocular, declaring that it was looking for Nath, who had "vanished" from Chhindwara after winning the last election.

The BJP aimed to emphasize via its campaign that the former Union minister was not serving the people who supported him.

Many believe that the BJP's action was intended to keep Nath in office in the Chhindwara assembly sector, where the saffron party has only won three times out of 16 polls held in the constituency since 1957, compared to the Congress's 13 triumphs.

In an attempt to win over voters in Chhindwara, which is a portion of the same-named Lok Sabha seat, both of the leading contenders are publicly displaying their religiosity.

The mascot of the Congress for the MP elections, who had a 102-foot-tall Hanuman statue placed in Chhindwara a few years ago, is not letting any opportunity pass to project an image of himself as a devout follower of the "trouble-shooter" God.

In a same vein, Sahu, the BJP candidate, is not behind in demonstrating his love for Lord Shiva. This year, he had an 84-foot-tall image of Lord Shiva dedicated in Chhindwara. Like Nath, he begins his electoral campaign with a puja.

Ahead of the election, the seasoned Congressman entertained Dhirendra Shastri, the 27-year-old chief priest of Bageshwar Dham, who has often advocated for the proclamation of India as a "Hindu Rashtra."

The controversial preacher Pandit Pradeep Mishra, who publicly supports the creation of a Hindu Rashtra, was also hosted by the former chief minister in Chhindwara.

Parts of Congress have disapproved of Nath's action.

Retaliating to criticism that he had invited Shastri to his house for a three-day religious event, Nath said in August that it was unnecessary to declare that "India is a Hindu nation" since 82% of Indians identify as Hindus.

During a recent news conference in Chhindwara, senior BJP leader as well as former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "I see Kamal Nathji's admiration for Hindu feelings, sometimes as Hanumanji's follower." The fact that some worshiping congregations have been conducted (here) is commendable.

"But why are you (Nath) refraining from speaking against the contempt shown to Sanatan Dharma by your friends as well as ally Tamil Nadu chief minister's son along with your party president Mallikarjun Kharge's son?" Prasad enquired.

Election managers from Bhopal and Delhi are camped up in Chhindwara, hoping to swing the vote in their candidate's favor.

In addition, teams from Gujarat, the state where Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails from, as well as Union Home Minister and main strategist for the BJP Amit Shah, were hard at work in Chhindwara, determined to unseat Nath in his home constituency.

Though he has won the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency a record nine times since 1980, the Congress leader is still a powerful political force in this area.

Bipin Ramswarup Sikka, the deputy mayor of Ahmedabad, confirmed to PTI that a member of his team will not be leaving Chhindwara till Friday's vote is over.

On Diwali night, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Gujarat leader Mohit Telwani stated that "We are working day and night to guarantee the BJP demolishes Nath's citadel when we're around."

There are posters and flags of the two opposing parties all over the roads, streets, and alleys. There is a fierce competition in Chhindwara as cars with loudspeakers blasting music and promoting Nath and Sahu drive through the crowded streets of the constituency.

In an effort to attract votes, the Congress is urging voters that their support is essential for both Chhindwara's and Madhya Pradesh's bright futures, since Nath is expected to become chief minister should the party win the election.

The opposition party is also emphasizing Chhindwara's infrastructural improvements, industrial expansion, and development projects under Nath's leadership.

However, 'young' Sahu seems committed to putting up a fierce battle against the politician who is seventy years old. Since there are more women and young voters in the district than males, he is concentrating his efforts there.

He visits each and every temple coming on his route while campaigning and asks blessings of priests amid cries of "Jai Shri Ram".

Sahu, whose team includes a fair number of female party members, makes it a point to touch the feet of ladies who are older than him while out on the campaign trail. There are 1,41,002 female voters in the assembly constituency compared to 1,40,674 male votes.

A car following Sahu's campaign party is heard singing praises of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's Ladli Behna Yojana, which has been providing women with Rs 1,250 per month in cash help for the last five months.

The BJP's campaign also attempts to depict Nath as "anti-women" by emphasizing that in 1997, he forced his wife Alka to retire so that she could run from Chhindwara in the Lok Sabha elections. Nath had lost to BJP veteran and former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa in the by-election.

Sahu said, "I am 100 percent confident of winning the election," while on the campaign road. Nath has been a traitor to the people of Chhindwara for 43 years. Young people need jobs. Nath, on the other hand, is in charge of 22 enterprises in his business empire."

Dipak Saxena, the former three-time Chhindwara MLA for the Congress, is seen rallying support for Nath by riding in an open vehicle. A guy costumed as Mahatma Gandhi conducts his campaign in front of an overwhelming drumming sound.

"Observe the reactions individuals are having to our promotion. This indicates that Nathji would win the polls by a historically large margin," he said to PTI.

The son of Kamal Nath, the cause of the party manager in Chhindwara, the local Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath stated his father is receiving a lot of support from the public and would achieve a historic victory.

Meetings between Congress leaders and workers are seen at Kamal Nath's home at Shikarpur, on the outskirts of Chhindwara.

The 50-year-old barbershop owner on Collectorate Road, Santosh Bandavar, predicted that Nath would win.

"Most customers who visit my store mention a wave of change in MP. "Nath is the next chief minister that the people of Chhindwara want to see," Bandavar said.

Parasia Road resident Sanjay Singhai (53), who believes Sahu has an advantage against Nath because of his direct approach to campaigning.

Pushpa Devi, a 45-year-old Sanichara Bazaar resident, was all praise for the Ladli Behna Yojana of the state government, claiming that the funds she got under the program enabled her to celebrate Diwali in style.