144 Candidates File Nominations for Nine Lok Sabha Seats in Madhya Pradesh

A total of 144 candidates, including those from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Congress, have filed nominations for the elections to nine Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, where polling is scheduled for the third phase on May 7, according to a top poll official. The high-profile seats where polling will be held include Guna, Vidisha, and Rajgarh.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are contesting elections from Guna and Vidisha, respectively, on the BJP tickets, while the Congress has fielded former chief minister and its Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh from the Rajgarh seat. A total of 223 nomination forms were filed by the 144 candidates for these nine seats.

The scrutiny of nominations will be held on Saturday, and the candidates can withdraw their nominations till April 22. The elections in Madhya Pradesh are part of the larger Lok Sabha elections taking place across the country. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, with 10 seats reserved for SC and ST candidates and the remaining 19 unreserved.

Why this matters: The Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh are a critical battleground for both the BJP and Congress, with high-profile candidates contesting in key constituencies. The outcome of these elections will have a significant impact on the political landscape of the state and the country as a whole.

In the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency, a close contest is expected between Nakul Nath, the son of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, and the BJP candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu. The Nath family has taken an emotional approach to the campaigning phase to hold onto the Chhindwara constituency, which was the only one the Congress won in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. "Vikram Ahake, the mayor of Chhindwara who recently defected to the BJP, asked voters to re-elect the Congress MP Nakul Nath in a video. Ahake said he felt 'suffocated' after joining the BJP and accused Nath of insulting tribals," according to a top poll official.

Key Takeaways

• 144 candidates filed nominations for 9 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh.
• High-profile candidates include Scindia, Chouhan, and Digvijaya Singh.
• Scrutiny of nominations on April 22, with withdrawals allowed until then.
• Chhindwara seat sees close contest between Nakul Nath and BJP's Vivek Sahu.
• Outcome of MP elections will significantly impact state and national politics.