Ready to oblige if you want to bid me farewell: Kamal Nath tells Congress workers
Chhindwara (PTI): A day after dismissing the buzz about his BJP switch, Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Wednesday told the party workers that he would not "impose" himself on them and would "leave" if they want him to.
Addressing a meeting of the party workers at Harrai on his home turf Chhindwara, the 77-year-old leader said he had been receiving their love and trust for many years.
"If you want to bid farewell to Kamal Nath, it's your choice. I am ready to leave. I don't want to impose myself. This is a matter of your choice," the former MP chief minister told the gathering.
Nath's son Nakul Nath is a Lok Sabha member from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency.
The senior Nath had already announced that Nakul will contest again from this seat.
The veteran politician, who represents the Chhindwara assembly seat, said the BJP projects itself aggressively but Congress workers should not panic.
"We have to vote for securing the future and I have trust in all of you," he said.
Nath said the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya belongs to all, suggesting that the BJP should not take credit for its construction.
"Does the BJP own the Ram temple? It belongs to all, including me. The temple is constructed with public money. The Supreme Court gave a verdict and since they (BJP) are in power, they constructed the temple," he said.
Nath also said he worshipped Lord Ram and constructed a big temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman on the land owned by him in Chhindwara.
"We are religious people and keep our culture intact," he said.
Amid speculations that he might join the BJP, the veteran politician on Tuesday dismissed them as a "media creation".
"You (media) are making such speculations and nobody else is saying so. Have you ever heard from me? You run the news and ask me. You should refute this news," Nath told reporters on Tuesday.
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Voting underway for local body elections in Gujarat
Ahmedabad (PTI): Voting got underway on Sunday morning for elections to several local bodies in Gujarat, including 15 municipal corporations and 84 municipalities.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, as per the schedule announced by the State Election Commission.
The elections are being held for 15 municipal corporations, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, making it one of the largest electoral exercises in the state.
A total of 9,992 candidates are in the fray, with more than 4.18 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise.
A three-tier security is in place, aided by CCTV surveillance and deployment of special squads in sensitive areas, police officials said.
The polls are being conducted under revised norms for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations, and required extensive delimitation and restructuring of wards in several districts.
The ruling BJP, Opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have emerged as the key players, while All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is also contesting in several places.
Among notable candidates are former Gujarat-cadre IPS officer M L Ninama, ex-radio jockey Abha Desai, and former AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani.
Ninama is contesting from the Odh seat in Shamlaji taluka for the Arvalli district panchayat elections, while the BJP has nominated Bhayani from the Bhesan seat of the Junagadh district panchayat.
Desai, popularly known as RJ Abha, is contesting as a Congress candidate from ward number 10 of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
Elections are also being held for the first time in nine newly-created municipal corporations, including Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Porbandar and Surendranagar.
Counting of votes will take place on April 28.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel campaigned extensively for the BJP.
The AAP had taken the lead over other parties in launching the campaign, with its national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addressing several rallies across Gujarat.
In a first for AAP, the Kejriwal-led party is contesting around 5,000 seats in local polls.
Other contestants include the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Independents.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi campaigned in the final phase, addressing public meetings in Ahmedabad and Bhuj.
In March 2021, the BJP scored a landslide win in the local polls in Gujarat, winning 6,236 out of 8,470 seats across various municipalities and establishing a wide gap with rival Congress.
The BJP had then dominated all six municipal corporations, besides 81 municipalities, 32 district panchayats, and 231 taluka panchayats.
