Nakul Nath (right) is former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's son (File).
Congress MP Nakul Nath - the son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath - has been nominated to defend his Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general election, the party said Tuesday evening as it released another trickle of candidates - 43 names to add to the 39 last week.
Nath senior and junior had the Congress leadership on tenterhooks last month amid speculation they could both jump to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Sources had told NDTV Kamal Nath "unhappy" with the party after the dismal performance in the 2023 Assembly election. Sources said Kamal Nath felt the Congress had changed since he joined over 50 years ago, and had conveyed this to the party.
The Congress has denied reports Kamal Nath would leave, stressing that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had called him her "third son" while campaigning for him in 1979. The senior leader reacted days later to shut down talk of a switch. "Have you heard this from my mouth?" he asked reporters.
Nakul Nath also issued an emphatic denial. "...neither Kamal Nath nor Nakul Nath will join BJP."
READ | "Neither I Nor My Father Joining BJP": Kamal Nath's Son
Chhindwara is the ex-Chief Minister's stronghold and, significantly, was the only Lok Sabha seat in the state won by the Congress; the BJP swept the other 28 en route to a crushing win in the 2019. The party - which dominated the state poll too - has made it a priority to win all 29 in this election.
However, the choice of Nakul Nath to contest this seat - instead of his father - has raised some eyebrows, particularly after the former Chief Minister insisted just 24 hours ago that he would not leave the Chhindwara seat. There was talk Nath senior could contest the Jabalpur seat.
READ | Kamal Nath To Swap Chhindwara For Jabalpur? He Says...
Jabalpur is a BJP bastion; the saffron party has held it since the 1996 election and the sitting MP, Rakesh Singh, is looking for a fifth consecutive win from here.
Between the three Naths (this includes Kamal Nath's wife Alka Nath's win in 1996), the Congress has won Chhindwara 11 times. In fact, the party has only ever lost this seat to the BJP once - Sunder Lal Patwa did the unthinkable and won Chhindwara in a 1997 bypoll.
Vaibhav Gehlot In Rajasthan
The Congress - routinely attacked by the BJP for "dynastic pilots" - has also named another stalwart's son as a Lok Sabha candidate. Ex-Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son - Vaibhav Gehlot - will contest from the Jalore constituency that has been a BJP fortress for the past four elections.
The sitting MP, Devji Patel, has won three polls on the trot.
Vaibhav Gehlot was last year questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for nine hours in connection with alleged forex violations. Mr Gehlot's questioning came days before the Rajasthan Assembly election in which the then-ruling Congress was routed.
The younger Gehlot denied all charges, stating, "Neither nor my family nor I have any links to FEMA (the Foreign Exchange Management Act) or foreign transactions."
Dismissing the allegations, Ashok Gehlot said Vaibhav had no foreign exchange dealings. "Vaibhav Gehlot only has a taxi company..." the former Chief Minister had said.
Gaurav Gogoi's Assam Switch
Meanwhile, in its list of 43, the Congress also named Gaurav Gogoi, who is the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha. Mr Gogoi will contest the Jorhat seat; in 2014 and 2019 he was fielded from and won the Kaliabor seat, a Congress stronghold.
Jorhat was also a Congress seat - from independence to 2009 - till it was flipped by the BJP, with Kamakhya Prasad Tasa winning in 2014 and Topon Kumar Gogoi in 2019.
The Congress - racing to cobble together seat-sharing deals with its INDIA bloc allies - has yet to announce candidates for a majority of seats it will probably contest.
This includes 17 seats in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, where Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to make her electoral debut - from the Raebareli seat vacated by her mother Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi is expected to contest the family's other UP citadel - Amethi.
READ | Priyanka Gandhi's Poll Debut From Raebareli, Amethi Redux For Rahul
Mr Gandhi has already been confirmed as a candidate from Kerala's Wayanad.
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