Congress leader Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination from the Indore Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh on April 29, the final day for submissions, paving the way for a significant political move as he transitioned to the BJP.
Following Bam's withdrawal, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya shared a photo of himself with Bam, extending a warm welcome on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda.
The move occurred amidst preparations for the upcoming elections in Indore scheduled for May 13. Bam's withdrawal came just in time for the deadline, leaving the Congress without a candidate to contest against sitting BJP MP Shankar Lalwani.
This development in Indore mirrors a recent setback faced by the Congress in Surat, where the nomination of their candidate Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected due to discrepancies in the proposers' signatures. This rejection paved the way for BJP's Mukesh Dalal to secure an uncontested victory. There were allegations of collusion between the Congress candidate and the BJP, resulting in Kumbhani's suspension from the party for six years.
Furthermore, the nomination of the Congress' 'dummy' candidate in Surat, Suresh Padsala, faced a similar fate with the rejection of nomination papers due to alleged forged signatures. This rejection was preceded by the withdrawal of support from proposers on the last day of filing nominations, mirroring the situation in Indore.
Additionally, eight other candidates, including Pyarelal Bharti of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), withdrew their nominations.
In response to Dalal's uncontested victory in Surat, BJP Gujarat president CR Paatil expressed congratulations and best wishes to him, stating, “Surat offered first lotus to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi. Congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Mukeshbhai Dalal, candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat, for being elected unopposed.”