In a devastating upset for the Congress, the party’s Indore Lok Sabha candidate, Akshay Kanti Bam, on Monday withdrew his nomination from the polls, practically serving the seat on a plate to the BJP candidate and sitting MP Shankar Lalwani.
Sources said that Bam is also likely to join the BJP.
Bam (45) reached the Indore Collector Office along with BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola, a close confidant of minister Kailash Vijaywargiya, and withdrew his papers.
According to Collector Ashish Singh, Bam and two other candidates have withdrawn their nominations from contesting the polls.
April 29 was the last date for withdrawal of nominations of candidates for Indore seat. The constituency will go to polls on May 13, in the fourth phase.
“We welcome Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore Akshay Kanti Bam to the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National President J P Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and State President VD Sharma,” Vijaywargiya said in a tweet in Hindi.
Meanwhile, police were deployed outside the house of Bam in Patrakar Colony in Indore. Local Congress leaders started gathering outside his house.
In Indore, Bam was the main challenger against BJP’s sitting MP Shankar Lalwani (62).
However, Bam has left the Congress in a lurch and at a point of no return.
Indore, the largest constituency in the state in terms of number of voters, has 25.13 lakh electorate where the BJP has given a slogan of winning by a margin of eight lakh votes this time.