Amethi/Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Commenting on Congress candidate from Indore parliamentary seat Akshay Kanti Bam withdrawing his nomination, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the Congress has knelt down in the state.
CM Yadav made the remark while talking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi on Monday. He arrived here to participate in the nomination rally of Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency Smriti Irani.
"The whole of Madhya Pradesh is 'Modi-may'. Currently, there is a huge storm of the BJP all over India. The Congress and Samajwadi Party have a compromise on 29 seats in the state in which Congress has 28 seats and one is with SP.
First, the SP candidate from Khajuraho deliberately made a mistake in form so that the collector would face the blame and it is sort of withdrawing nomination. Today, Congress' candidate withdrew his nomination from the MP Congress chief's home town. What can we do now," Yadav told ANI.
"Congress knelt down and along with Congress, Samajwadi Party also knelt down in Madhya Pradesh. If they do not want to contest because they are weak then that is because of the popularity of PM Modi. I have also heard that the Congress candidate has also applied for BJP membership. We are thinking about it," he said.
The chief minister further added that if the Congress candidate from the hometown of state Congress president withdrew his nomination then, it meant that Congress' state president and National president should resign from their posts.
Earlier, Indore district Election Officer Ashish Singh said, "Congress candidate from Indore Lok Sabha Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination." On the other hand, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and BJP nominee from Vidisha seat, Shivraj Singh Chouhan also took a dig at the Congress saying the condition of the grand old party had become such that even candidates did not want to be within the party.
"Faith of all the leaders and workers is in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP. The condition of the Congress has become such that even candidates do not want to be within its party. Today, a Congress candidate from Indore Lok Sabha joined the BJP. Now, this is the Congress whose candidate does not have faith in the party.
He has faith in PM Modi and BJP that is why he left the Congress. Congress is leading the country towards destruction that is why Congress people are joining BJP," Chouhan told ANI Indore will go to poll in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13 with seven other parliamentary seats in the state. BJP's incumbent MP from Indore, Shankar Lalwani is contesting again from the seat.
Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 and the second phase was concluded on April 26.
The next two phases will be conducted on May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of parliamentary representation. Out of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.
