Congress Veterans Refuse To Contest In LS Election

In Madhya Pradesh, veteran Congress leaders have thus far resisted the pressure from the party's Central leadership to participate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Eight-time MLA and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Dr. Govind Singh, on Tuesday, aligned himself with other party veterans in the state by dismissing the possibility of contesting in the upcoming LS polls.

"Initially, I considered contesting from Morena (my home constituency) LS seat. However, I have now decided against entering the electoral fray," he stated.

Sources revealed that Dr. Singh was included in the list of potential candidates for the Morena LS seat compiled by the state Congress for submission to the party's screening committee.

He hinted that the Congress might nominate local party leader Pankaj Upadhya in Morena following his refusal to contest in the polls.

Meanwhile, another party stalwart and former chief minister Kamal Nath has hinted that he has no intention of contesting in the upcoming LS elections.

"Nakulji (Mr. Nath’s son) will seek re-election from Chhindwara in the LS polls," Mr. Nath announced.

Nakul Nath, the incumbent Congress MP from Chhindwara, has been renominated in the first list of ten candidates declared by Congress for Madhya Pradesh.

Similarly, former chief minister Digvijay Singh has indicated his reluctance to contest in the upcoming LS polls, citing that he still has two years left in his current Rajya Sabha tenure.

Two other senior Congress leaders, Ajey Singh and Sajjan Singh Verma, have also expressed their unwillingness to participate in the upcoming LS polls. They were absent from the first list of candidates declared by Congress on Tuesday.

In Mr. Singh’s home constituency of Sidhi, Congress has nominated Kamal Patel, while in Mr. Verma’s home constituency of Dewas, local leader Pankaj Upadhyaya has been selected by the party.

Among the ten candidates announced by the party in the first list for Madhya Pradesh, only two have been retained in their seats: Nakul Nath (from Chhindwara) and Ramu Tekam (from Betul). The party has introduced fresh faces in the remaining eight seats.

"No veteran leader in the state seems eager to contest in the LS polls this time," remarked a Congress leader, preferring not to be quoted.