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 Bhavarkar, the BJP release said.

There has been speculation over future moves of Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath, who is the Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara, even as both of them have said they do not intend to cross over to the BJP.

Out of the total 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP bagged 28 in the 2019 general elections while the Congress won only the Chhindwara seat.

Kamal Nath has represented the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat nine times.