Kamlesh Shah, three-time Congress MLA from Amarwara in Chhindwara, joins BJP

Chhindwara, a bastion of former chief minister Nath, is a high-profile seat in Madhya Pradesh. In the past 70 years, the BJP has only won once in a Lok Sabha election from here

Published on: Mar 29, 2024, 20:13:22 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Amarwara MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah on Friday resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), people aware of the matter said.

Three-time Congress MLA Kamlesh Shah joined the BJP at chief minister Mohan Yadav’s residence (Twitter/video screengrab)

Shah, a three-time MLA from Amarwada assembly seat of Chhindwara district, reached Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav’s residence on Friday and took the membership of the ruling party, said people.

“Today, the entire state turned into the colour of Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi). A leader of the Gondwana community, Kamlesh Shah, has taken membership in the BJP because of Kamal Nath’s poor behaviour. There is a problem in Chhindwara, and examples of it are coming to the fore,” CM Yadav said as he welcomed Shah to the BJP.

Also Read: AAP’s lone Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, Punjab MLA join BJP days after Kejriwal’s arrest

All the seven MLAs in the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency are of the Congress party, and Shah is the only sitting MLA who joined the BJP from the district.

Earlier on March 13, former party MLA Choudhary Gambhir Singh and several other local leaders from the Congress leader Kamal Nath’s home turf joined the ruling BJP.

“Kamlesh ji is from a very prestigious family. He is a third-time MLA. Impressed by the working system of the Prime Minister, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is heartily welcomed. I congratulate him,” Panchayat minister Prahlad Patel said.

Chhindwara, a bastion of former chief minister Nath, is a high-profile seat in Madhya Pradesh. In the past 70 years, the BJP has only won once in a Lok Sabha election from here.

Also Read: Former Haryana minister Savitri Jindal quits Congress, joins BJP

The BJP had set a target of winning all 29 Lok Sabha seats from MP.

The party has set up committees in every district in the state to woo leaders from other political parties, especially the Congress. BJP state-level convenor of the committee, Narottam Mishra, earlier claimed that over 10,000 Congress leaders and workers have joined the BJP in the past one month.

Congress spokesperson KK Mishra said, “The filtration of Congress is going on. The selfish and opportunistic leaders are leaving the party.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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