Indore To Be Next Surat? Congress Candidate Akshay Kanti Bam Withdraws Nomination, Joins BJP

New Delhi: In another blow to the Congress party, its Indore candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, April 29. BJP has announced the incumbent Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani as its candidate from Indore. 

Bam was welcomed by senior BJP leader and state cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. The BJP leader posted a picture on his X account in which Bam was seen sitting in a car with him. Local BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola was also seen accompanying them in the car. Mendola is a trusted associate of Vijayvargiya.

"Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore Akshay Kanti Bam is welcome to the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party national president JP Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma," said Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Vijayvargiya in a post on X. 

District Election Officer Ashish Singh confirmed that Akshay Kanti Bam has withdrawn his nomination. Indore will go to polls on May 13 and Monday was the deadline for withdrawal of nomination. Indore, the largest constituency in the state in terms of number of voters, has 25.13 lakh electors.

Who is Akshay Kanti Bam? 

Akshay Kanti Bam (45) is a new commer in politics and Indore would have been his poll debut. Congress party had fielded Bam against Lalwani as several party workers, including three former MLAs of the party, have switched sides and joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

Security has been tightened outside Bam's residence in Patrakar Colony as local Congress leaders have started gathering outside his house. 

Congress on Bam Withdrawing Nomination 

The Congress party alleged that Bam has withdrawn his nomination due to pressure from the BJP. "It is not natural, normal or ordinary that somebody just withdraws their candidature and joins the BJP." “When we say democracy of India is under threat, this is the threat we speak about. The threat is to coax candidates, to put pressure on them to withdraw, to intimidate them, to intimidate their proposers and that is what is happening,” said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate during a press conference. 

"When intimidation is of the kind that people are having to withdraw from electoral contests, where is a free and fair election. Where is a free and fair election when the prime minister delivers a hate speech but he is not held responsible, the notice goes to the party president, where is a free and fair election when the Election Commission looks the other way when candidate after candidate is being intimidated," she added.