"Won't Leave Chhindwara" : Kamal Nath Amid Buzz Over Jabalpur Seat

Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday ruled out the possibility of contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh and said that "he will not leave Chhindwara under any circumstance."

Speaking to news agency ANI, Mr Nath said, "I have no such plan to contest from Jabalpur. I won't leave Chhindwara in any condition."

Mr Nath has been elected nine times from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat.

Asked about several leaders leaving the Congress to join the BJP, he said, "If Suresh Pachouri has left the Congress to join the BJP, it's his wish. He (Deepak Joshi) was from there (BJP) only."

Earlier on March 5, Kamal Nath said that the Congress will win at least 12-13 seats out of 29 parliamentary constituencies in the state in the upcoming general elections.

The veteran Congress leader also scotched rumours about the possibility of his joining the BJP.

The former Union Minister said he has had a relationship with the people of the area for the last 45 years.

"I dedicated my life to Chhindwara. Today Chhindwara has an identity. Any person from Chhindwara, wherever he goes, can proudly say that he has come from Chhindwara."

The Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Nakul Nath, the son of Kamal Nath.