Congress' Indore Candidate Akshay Bam Switches Sides, Joins BJP Ahead of Election

In another blow to Congress, Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination from the Indore constituency just days before the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had nominated Bam to contest against the incumbent BJP MP, Shankar Lalwani, in the upcoming polls scheduled for May 13 in the fourth phase.

Following Bam's withdrawal, senior BJP leader and MLA from Indore, Kailash Vijayvargiya, welcomed him into the BJP fold. "Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore Akshay Kanti Bam is welcome in the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party national president JP Nadda, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma," posted Vijayvargiya on "X".

The defection of Bam marks a significant setback for the Congress, occurring shortly after the rejection of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination for the Surat Lok Sabha seat. Kumbhani's candidature was invalidated after discrepancies were found in the signatures of his proposers. Similarly, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' alternative candidate for Surat, faced rejection due to similar reasons.

Indore goes to polling during the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, on May 13. The 2024 General elections span across 7 phases. Phases 1 and 2 were conducted on April 19 and 26 respectively. The following phases will be held on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.​