In another set back to Congress, its Indore candidate Akshay Kanti Bam on Monday withdrew his nomination for the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections 2024, said District Election Officer Ashish Singh. He had reached the Collector’s office with BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola to withdraw his candidature today.
Soon after withdrawing his nomination from Indore, Akshay Bam joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said.
“We welcome Akshay Kanti Bam Ji Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore into the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national BJP president JP Nadda and state president VD Sharma,” Vijayvargiya wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Congress announced his candidature from Indore in March this year. “I thank the top leadership for giving me this opportunity. Victory and defeat are a part of politics, the most important thing is that people stand with you and people believe your words,” Akshay Bam had said.
The Congress candidate had earlier asked for a ticket from assembly constituency number 4 of Indore but did not receive it, he said as quoted by ANI. BJP has fielded the incumbent Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani as its candidate from Indore seat. Indore will go to polls in the fourth phase of general elections, that is, May 13.
Akshay Bam’s withdrawal came after BJP legal cell officials raised objections on his nomination form for not mentioning the section 307 of IPC in a 17-year-old case registered against him. However, the district collection accepted his nomination as the section was added on the day of filing of nomination. In this case, the hearing will take place on May 10, three days before voting in Indore.
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Published: 29 Apr 2024, 12:04 PM IST