Massive blow to Congress: Indore candidate opts out, BJP welcomes him to party

In a massive blow to Congress, its Indore candidate Akshay Kanti Bamb on Monday withdrew his nomination from the Lok Sabha elections and was set to join the BJP. Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya posted a picture of Bamb, and wrote 'welcome to the party'. "The BJP welcomes Congress' Indore candidate Akshay Kanti Bamb," Vijayvargiya wrote on X. 

Indore will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13. So far, polling has been done for 13 of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh. Eight seats will go to polls in the third phase on May 7 and the rest 8 on May 13.  

Earlier this month, the BJP won the Surat seat after the Congress candidate's nomination was rejected over some discrepancy. BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner from Surat. 

Nilesh Kumbhani, the Congress candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha seat, was unable to present even one of his three proposers before the election officer, after which his nomination form was cancelled.

In the third phase in Madhya Pradesh, voting will be held in Bhind, Bhopal, Guna, Gwalior, Morena, Rajgarh, Sagar, and Vidisha. 

In the last elections, the  BJP had won 28 of 29 seats. The Congress settled with just one, Chhindwara.