On Monday, Congress leader Akshay Bam made headlines as he withdrew his nomination from the Indore constituency. This move marks a significant development in the political landscape ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The withdrawal of Bam’s nomination was met with a notable response from senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who took to Twitter to share a photo with Bam in his car. Vijayvargiya expressed his welcome to Bam, indicating a shift in allegiance towards the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It’s worth mentioning that the withdrawal occurred on the last day for such actions, with polling scheduled for May 13 in phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has reaffirmed its support for sitting MP Shankar Lalwani, fielding him again for the seat in Indore.

Madhya Pradesh, historically considered a stronghold for the BJP, witnessed a significant political landscape shift in 2019 when the party won 28 out of 29 parliamentary seats, barring one seat in Chhindwara. This seat was secured by former Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son, Nakul Nath.

In a separate electoral development, the BJP secured an early victory in the 2024 elections, with Mukesh Dalal winning the Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat unopposed. This outcome was a result of the rejection of the nomination paper of the Congress candidate, Nilesh Kumbhani, due to discrepancies in signature, and subsequent withdrawals from other candidates.

The withdrawal of eight candidates, predominantly Independents and Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Pyarelal Bharti, on the last day of nomination withdrawal further streamlined the electoral landscape in various constituencies.