Son to replace Kamal Nath on Chhindwara seat

Businessman Nakul Nath will replace his father and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath as the candidate for the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat, while AICC general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia will seek re-election from his traditional Guna seat.

Nakul Nath is not a familiar face in the state but in Chhindwara, he is known for being his father's chief campaign manager in the last three parliamentary elections.

Kamal Nath has represented Chhindwara since 1980. In 1996, his wife Alka Nath successfully contested on the seat as the veteran Congress leader was denied ticket due to his alleged involvement in the Hawala diary case.

Alka stepped down in six months for her husband. However, Kamal Nath lost the ensuing by-election to BJP stalwart and former chief minister Late Sundarlal Patwa. In the 1998 election, Kaml Nath regained his seat.

Nath will now contest from the Chhindwara Assembly seat, which has been vacated by his confidante Deepak Saxena.

The Congress screening committee for the selection of candidates in Madhya Pradesh has finalised both Nakul's and Scindia's nomination, along with that of four others.

The four others who were given a go-ahead in the meeting on Saturday are: former Opposition leader Ajay Singh for Satna, former PCC president Arun Yadav for Khandwa, former minister Ram Niwas Rawat for Morena and sitting MP Kantilal Bhuria for Jhabua-Ratlam.

Singh, Yadav and Rawat had lost the Assembly election in November last year.

The screening committee will again sit next week to decide candidates for the remaining seats.

Other Congress candidates who were defeated in the Assembly elections but are in the race for tickets are Ramkrishna Kusumaria, Mukesh Nayak and Arunodaya Chobey.

Five-time BJP Lok Sabha member Kusumaria joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi in Bhopal on February 8.

He had lost the Assembly election as BJP's rebel candidate.