- Both contested against each other in 2018 assembly by-elections
- Kamal Nath defeats BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu by 25,837 votes
Ajay Bhramavanshi, Chhindwara
The Congress Party has released the list of 144 candidates, in which former Chief Minister Kamal Nath has been declared the candidate for Chhindwara Assembly seat, whereas BJP had already released the list of candidates. BJP has given ticket to Vivek Bunty Sahu for Chhindwara assembly seat. Bunty Sahu had contested against Kamal Nath in the assembly by-election held in 2018. This time again, the BJP high command has expressed confidence in Vivek Bunty Sahu and declared him as its candidate. This time, BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu is facing Kamal Nath.
It is to inform that BJP has already released the list of candidates for the assembly seat. But the Congress party had not released the list of its candidates. Due to the Congress list not being released, speculations were being made whether Kamal Nath will contest from Chhindwara Assembly seat or will field some other candidate. If sources are to be believed, after the end of Congress Party Pitru Paksha, the Congress Party has released the first list of 144 candidates at the auspicious time as Navratri begins. In which there was a wave of happiness among the Congress workers when former Chief Minister Kamal Nath was declared the candidate for Chhindwara Assembly seat. Drums were beaten in the Congress building and Congress workers burst fireworks.
Congress workers were waiting for the list – BJP had already released the list of its candidates for the assembly elections but the list was not released by the Congress party due to which the Congress workers were waiting for the list. If sources are to be believed, auspicious work is not done during Pitru Paksha, perhaps Congress was waiting for an auspicious moment. After the end of Pitru Paksha, as soon as the auspicious time of Navratri arrived, Congress released the first list of 144 candidates. Out of the seven seats in the district, only the name of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath from Chhindwara has been finalized, while the names of candidates have not been declared on the remaining six seats. The names of the candidates on these seats have been kept on hold. It is coming to light that the names of these seats will also be announced soon. Earlier it was being said that the tickets of some of the sitting MLAs may be cut but sources say that only the candidates who won in all the seven assembly seats will be given tickets.
Bunty Sahu was defeated in the assembly by-election
Kamal Nath had won from Chhindwara Assembly seat in the 2018 Assembly by-election. Kamal Nath became a member of the Legislative Assembly for the first time in his long political career. In the by-election of Chhindwara assembly seat, Kamal Nath got a total of 1,14,459 votes while his nearest rival BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu got 88,622 votes. Thus, Kamal Nath had defeated BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu by a margin of 25,837 votes. After the November 2018 assembly elections, the Congress government was formed in Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Kamal Nath. After becoming the Chief Minister, as per the rules, it was mandatory for Kamal Nath to become a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly within six months. Therefore, his supporter Deepak Saxena had resigned from the Chhindwara assembly seat and vacated the seat for him. Then by-elections were held on the Chhindwara Assembly seat. Kamal Nath has been a Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara nine times.
