MP: Ex-Cong MLA Kamlesh Shah to contest Assembly bypoll on BJP ticket

Bhopal, June 13 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday cleared Kamlesh Pratap Shah’s name as the party candidate for the Assembly by-election in Amarwara in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district to be held on July 10.Shah, who won the Assembly elections held in November last year on a Congress ticket, left the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and joined the BJP, which necessitated the bypoll in the seat reserved for the Schedule Tribe (ST). The results will be announced on July 13.While the Congress is yet to name its candidate, sources told IANS that a new face will be decided for the seat after consultations with party veteran Kamal Nath.The Congress, meanwhile, has named two in-charges for the by-election in Amarwara — former minister Sukhdev Panse and ex-MLA Sunil Jaiswal.Last year, the Congress under the leadership of Kamal Nath won all the seven Assembly segments in Chhindwara. However, Shah, whose candidature was finalised by Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath, resigned from the post on March 29 and joined the BJP.–IANSpd/arm