INDORE: With Congress candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrawing his nomination, Indore is the second constituency in MP where BJP has got a near walkover after Khajuraho, where the SP candidate forgot to sign the nomination papers.
Bam sprung the last-minute surprise on Congress after seeking votes for himself under the party banner on Monday morning — the last day for withdrawal of nominations.
Towards afternoon, he suddenly vanished. Concern began mounting in the Congress camp.
Congress workers were stunned when Bam was seen entering the district election office, escorted by BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola. Outside, waiting in an SUV, was state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Bam, a businessman, ignored media questions after stepping out of the election office, where Congress and BJP workers came to blows. Less than an hour later, Vijayvargiya posted a photograph on X showing him, Bam and Mendola, all smiling in a car. Vijayvargiya hosted a joint press conference with Bam, who announced that he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ concept.
“I have just changed my path. I have chosen the path where there are people with patriotism to reach the goals,” he said.
In Congress, there was confusion, bedlam and plenty of finger-pointing, mostly at PCC chief Jitu Patwari. Party’s Indore unit working president Devendra Singh fumed: “Bam was campaigning in Choithram Mandi area with me in the morning. He betrayed the party in the afternoon. I’d always questioned the party’s decision to ignore genuine and dedicated party leaders and field Bam, solely on the basis of his wealth. I had predicted that he would withdraw.”
Bam sprung the last-minute surprise on Congress after seeking votes for himself under the party banner on Monday morning — the last day for withdrawal of nominations.
Towards afternoon, he suddenly vanished. Concern began mounting in the Congress camp.
Congress workers were stunned when Bam was seen entering the district election office, escorted by BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola. Outside, waiting in an SUV, was state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Bam, a businessman, ignored media questions after stepping out of the election office, where Congress and BJP workers came to blows. Less than an hour later, Vijayvargiya posted a photograph on X showing him, Bam and Mendola, all smiling in a car. Vijayvargiya hosted a joint press conference with Bam, who announced that he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ concept.
“I have just changed my path. I have chosen the path where there are people with patriotism to reach the goals,” he said.
In Congress, there was confusion, bedlam and plenty of finger-pointing, mostly at PCC chief Jitu Patwari. Party’s Indore unit working president Devendra Singh fumed: “Bam was campaigning in Choithram Mandi area with me in the morning. He betrayed the party in the afternoon. I’d always questioned the party’s decision to ignore genuine and dedicated party leaders and field Bam, solely on the basis of his wealth. I had predicted that he would withdraw.”