In what is expected to be an intense political showdown, the determined BJP finds itself pitted against a resurgent Congress in a high-stakes battle for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023.
The BJP faces the challenge of overcoming over 18 years of incumbency in the State and a resurgent Congress. BJP’s Vivek Bunty Sahu steps up to contest for the second time from Chhindwara against Congress senior leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and is certain of winning.
Speaking to media, BJP candidate from Chhindwara Vivek Bunty Sahu said, “I am not fighting from here, it is the people of Chhindwara assembly who are fighting. I am just the face of the party. This election is being contested by the people of Chhindwara. This time this fight is about the self-respect of Chhindwara.”
“In 43 years, Kamal Nath ji betrayed our young comrades. Every time he worked through lies and illusions. Kamal Nath talks about providing employment to the youth, but in the Chhindwara district, we have a large number of unemployed youth. It is the misfortune of Chhindwara that Kamal Nath ji became a billionaire in the name of Chhindwara, but 70 per cent of the population remained below the poverty line,” he added.
In 2019, Vivek Bunty put up a strong electoral fight by challenging Kamal Nath in his own political stronghold. He narrowly lost the election to the then Chief Minister by a margin of just 25,000 votes.
Vivek Bunty Sahu said, “Last time when I contested against Kamal Nath, he was the chief minister then. People of Chhindwara had cast 90,000 votes to me then against the Chief minister and gave me their blessings. Kamal Nath won with great difficulty by 25000 votes. The reason why Kamal Nath won was that he distributed crores of rupees and liquor, he was the Chief Minister; the entire administration was with him, fake cases were made against our activities, distributed ration cards in thousands, cases were made against me and our booth president. Our booth president was told not to work for the BJP or else a false case would be built against them by keeping liquor in their houses. But this time, there is no such thing and the people of Chhindwara have decided to bid adieu to Kamal Nath”.
He said that it is his resolution that he will discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of the State to open big business which will provide employment to 25,000 youth of Chhindwara.
He said his second resolution is to bring the 70 per cent of the population that is under the poverty line, to rise above it.
“Kamal Nath has done the work of cheating the people of Chhindwara. But I am the son of Chhindwara, this time I am contesting for election for them and certainly the future of Chhindwara is bright in the times to come,” Sahu further said.
Speaking about Congress senior leader Kamal Nath, Sahu said, “Not many people know that till date Kamal Nath has never drank water from anyone’s house in Chhindwara. Many people do not know that to date Kamal Nath ji has never participated in anyone’s grief, never attended anyone’s funeral. Many people do not know that Kamal Nath ji neither went to any salon in Chhindwara to get his hair cut, nor to any dry cleaner to get his clothes washed, nor did he perform rituals or pujas from any priest of Chhindwara.”
He said that Kamal Nath is a “great industrialist”.
“By spending money, those investments are used in Chhindwara as a political factory. They have won the elections by distributing liquor. But this time, the people of Chhindwara are going to settle the account of Kamal Nath who has cheated them for the last 43 years and BJP is going to get victory soon, “Sahu said.
When asked about why he thinks people should vote for him, he said, “People will cast vote for me in the name of PM Modi, the scheme that he has brought for Gareeb Kalyan, Pradhan Mantri Awaas, Har Ghar Mein Jal and other schemes and my feeling of service towards the people of Chhindwara which I have been engaged in since the Covid period till today. People will cast votes for the BJP on such a basis. BJP is one of the parties for which the nation comes first”.
(with inputs from ANI)
