In view of COVID-19 pandemic, conduct Madhya Pradesh by-polls using ballot papers: Kamal Nath to EC

New Delhi: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath in a letter to the Election Commission has suggested that the upcoming Assembly by-elections should be conducted using ballot papers in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

The by-elections for 24 state Assembly seats come after the resignation by 22 Congress MLAs and death of two other lawmakers.

However, the elections dates are yet to be finalized.

Elections will be conducted for 24 vacant assembly seats which are Jaura, Dimni, Ambah, Sumawali, Morena, Mehgaon, Gohad, Dabra, Gwalior, Gwalior East, Bhander, Karaira, Ashok Nagar, Mungawali, Surkhi, Ratkheda, Bamori, Byohari, Anuppur, Agar, Sanchi, Harpiplaya, Sanwer and Suwasara.

MP by-polls litmus test for Jyotiraditya Scindia

The upcoming by-polls are important for the stability of Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government and it will also be a litmus test for Jyotiraditya Scindia who left the Congress to join the BJP.

According to a report by HT, India-China stand-off has become a major political issue for the BJP and the Congress ahead of the elections.

Currently, the saffron party has 107 legislators in the assembly while the grand old party has 92.

The party with 116 legislators would get a majority in 230-member house.

RGF China funding key issue for BJP

The BJP is planning a door-to-door to corner the Congress over Rajiv Gandhi Foundation getting a donation from China and how Kamal Nath, as Union commerce and industries minister under UPA I was instrumental in establishing the relationship between China and the Congress.

The Congress has raised the issue of the visit by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other state and central BJP leaders to China in the past.

Ahead of the polls, Scindia launched a scathing attack on Kamal Nath saying that the Congress was running a corrupt government for 15 months in the state.

Scindia’s exit from the Congress was a big blow for the Kamal Nath government and eventually helped the BJP to regain power in MP.