Kamal Nath, son to file bypoll, LS nominations on Apr 9

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul will file their nominations together on April 9 for the Assembly bypoll and Lok Sabha elections respectively in Chhindwara.

The Madhya Pradesh CM has represented Chhindwara, over 300 kilometres from here, nine times.

The father-son duo would lead a procession in an open vehicle from Shyam Talkies area on April 9 to file their nominations, Deepak Saxena, former Chhindwara MLA and a close confidante of Kamal Nath, told PTI over the phone.

Nath (73), who is also MP Congress president, is contesting the Chhindwara bypoll as he needs to get elected to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly within six months of being sworn in to continue as state CM.

Nath was sworn in as MP CM in December last year.

Nath had not contested the Assembly polls in November last year in which the Congress ended the BJP's 15-year rule in MP.

To facilitate Nath's entry into the MP House, Saxena had resigned as Chhindwara MLA.

Nath's son Nakul (44), aBoston University graduate, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Chhindwara constituency for the first time.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, all seven seats that fall under Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency were won by the Congress.

Nath, his wife Alka, and Nakul have been campaigning across the length and breadth of Chhindwara to ensure their hold on it does not loosen.

The BJP has pitted Vivek Sahu (Bunty), a fresh face, against Nath and Natthan Shah, a tribal leader and former MLA, against Nakul, BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal said.