Indore: The Congress party in the Indore Lok Sabha constituency has launched a new campaign, urging its voters to cast their votes for the NOTA (None of the Above) option to ‘teach a lesson’ to the ruling party.
The Congress party’s candidate from this seat, Akshay Kanti Bam, withdrew from the race on the last day of withdrawing nominations and subsequently quit the party, switching over to its rival. This incident jolted the Congress party. Now, to teach a lesson to the opposition BJP, the Congress is banking on the NOTA option.
The Congress has not won the Indore constituency since 1989, but this will be the first time it has not even been able to field a candidate. After its substitute candidate’s petition to contest from the constituency on the party’s symbol was denied by the High Court, the Congress has launched a campaign for NOTA votes. The BJP seems to be relaxed and it did not see much competition from the 13 other candidates still in the fray.
Indore will vote in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Monday. The Indore Lok Sabha constituency has become a battleground for political strategies, particularly with the Congress urging voters to opt for the NOTA option as a form of protest against the BJP. The leaders of the grand old party claim that their candidate was ‘stolen,’ leaving the party without a candidate to support.
Senior Congress leaders like Jitu Patwari, Sajjan Verma, and Shobha Ojha have openly advocated for NOTA, citing it as a means to punish the BJP for what they see as undemocratic actions.
However, the BJP has condemned this campaign, labeling it as a negative tactic and an attack on democracy. BJP leaders have criticized the Congress for instigating voters to choose NOTA, asserting that it undermines the democratic process. BJP councilor Sandhya Yadav was even caught removing posters promoting NOTA, further escalating tensions between the two parties.
Despite the Congress’s efforts, some BJP leaders, including former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, have acknowledged the unfairness of the situation regarding the sudden withdrawal of the Congress candidate. Mahajan stressed voters’ right to decide and urged against the NOTA option, instead advocating for support for the BJP candidate Lalwani.
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