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Journalism of Courage
The villagers of Bhalpani in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district look to the sky for signs of their MP Nakul Nath, son of Congress veteran and ex-chief minister Kamal Nath. The whirring of the helicopter announces his arrival as Nakul lands in the sleepy hamlet comprising mud-brick houses.
Dressed casually in a white shirt and jeans, Nakul, 49, maintains a stoic demeanour as he approaches the podium, accepting garlands from his supporters but refusing to wear them. He nods silently as the Congress workers whisper updates, betraying some tension before waving organisers to hasten the proceeding.
Nakul seems to be in a hurry. He has much ground to cover.
This is going to be Nakul’s toughest election, as the ruling BJP has put its full might to wrest Kamal Nath’s stronghold, weaning away a legion of the Congress leaders and Nath loyalists in the constituency.
Chhindwara has remained firmly with Kamal Nath, who has won the seat nine times since 1980. In the 2019 polls, the BJP bagged 28 seats out of the state’s 29, but missed out on picking Chhindwara, where Nakul beat the BJP’s candidate by 37,536 votes to emerge as the lone Congress MP in the state.
This time, the BJP has pitted against Nakul its district president Vivek Bunty Sahu, who claims to be “Chhindwara’s real son” and paints Nakul as an “outsider dynast”.
The BJP has claimed to have inducted over 2,000 Congress leaders and workers in Chhindwara, including Amarwara’s tribal MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah, mayor Vikram Ahake and several councillors.
On his campaign trail, when asked if he was nervous over the exodus of leaders from his camp, Nakul told The Indian Express: “Absolutely not. The people are still with us. There will be no damage because of this. I have the full support of the people. This will not hurt me.”
Nakul had begun his campaign in February as he went around the district with Nath on an “aabhaar yatra”, meeting booth-level party workers, when the father-son duo planned their poll roadmap.
The richest candidate in MP with assets worth about Rs 697 crore, Nakul uses a helicopter for campaigning, attending 5-6 rallies daily before retiring to his sprawling bungalow in Shikarpur, where he meets locals.
At his rallies, his father’s presence is felt. From local tribal songs about Kamal Nath “vanquishing the BJP government” and ushering in development to Chhindwara, to the district Congress leaders’ speeches, his campaign is centred around his father’s legacy. Kamal Nath’s voice is heard from loudspeakers, saying “I have pressed ahead in my journey to serve you regardless of day or night, sun or shade. Today, I am happy that Nakul is serving you with the same energy.”
A Congress worker says, “Nakul Nath still has a long way to go to get such songs being sung for him.”
Nakul tells The Indian Express that he has stepped out of his father’s shadow. “I have my own connect with the people. My father has a relationship with the people. But I have been active for several years now.”
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It’s not just his father, even his wife Priya Nath has his back. She has been seen interacting with the locals, harvesting wheat with farmers, and dancing with women to devotional songs. But it was her emotional appeal following the crossover of her father-in-law’s associates to the BJP, which created ripples. “Wherever I go, my sisters tell me didi, never be nervous, we are with you… I am not nervous but I definitely feel sad for papa Kamal Nath ji, whom they (turncoats) betrayed when the time came for his agni pareeksha…We feel sad because we had accepted them wholeheartedly as our family.”
Stung by Kamleshwar Shah’s desertion, Nakul called him a “traitor”. When asked if it hurt him, Nakul pointed to a crowd of tribal women waiting to take pictures with him. “The tribal community remains with us.”
As Nakul takes the stage at Bhalpani, a local leader announces that this marks Nakul’s first visit to the village. Nakul rebuts him, saying it was his second visit. The leader stuck to his claim and went on to recount Nath’s multiple visits and his effort to set up 5 anganwadi centres and ensure water tankers in the area. Nakul listens quietly. When he starts speaking, the leader interrupts him, asking him to agree to a set of local demands. With his aides left red-faced, ex-minister Bala Bachan comes to his rescue, gently advising the leader to wait for Nakul to finish his speech.
Known to be an introvert who keep a low profile, Nakul had drawn criticism from some ex-Nath loyalists over his handling of the Chhindwara campaign during the November 2023 Assembly elections. Nath had to then camp in his home turf for several days, even as senior BJP leaders criss-crossed the state. Some of the Congress defectors have also flagged their rift with Nakul, claiming that they wanted Nath to contest the Lok Sabha election.
“As far as I know, this is my second visit, but if I am coming here for the first time, I am very happy,” Nakul tells the gathering. He says the Congress brought quota for tribals. “Today, the BJP wants to take away this right from our tribal community, but I want to assure all of you that as long as the Congress is there, koi mai ka lal (no one) will be able to snatch away your reservation. Watch on your TV how BJP workers and leaders, from Manipur to Sidhi (in MP), humiliate and oppress the tribals… On polling day on 19 April, you have to take revenge for this humiliation,” he says. Tribals account for about 36 per cent of Chhindwara’s population.
Nakul also attacks the BJP over its Assembly poll promises. “The BJP has deceived you. On the Ladli Behna Yojana, what did they say? They would start with Rs 1,000 per month and take it to Rs 3,000. Believe me, after the Lok Sabha elections, BJP will forget it forever. This, I say, is the last amount, so keep it safe,” he says.
