Nakul Nath | Saeed Faruqui
Nakul Nath mirrors his father, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in every aspect. And, it is quite evident when they make a public appearance together. From gestures to the oratory style, there is an uncanny resemblance between father and son. Only, Kamal Nath sounds more confident than his son in his speeches.
This Lok Sabha elections, Nakul, 44, is making his electoral debut from Chhindwara, a seat his father represented nine times in Parliament. With Kamal Nath shifting to state politics after leading the Congress to victory in the 2018 assembly polls, there was no doubt that Nakul would be his natural successor. He had accompanied his father when he was sworn in as chief minister in December 2018, and before that in April when he was made state Congress chief.
Initially involved in the wide range of family businesses, Nakul has been active in the constituency for more than six years. His bond with the constituency though, he says, began 40 years ago as a child who would often accompany his father. But politically, he was noticed in 1996, when his mother, Alka, contested and won from Chhindwara. In 2012, Nakul helped build a Hanuman temple in the constituency and also played a role in selecting young candidates from Chhindwara district for the 2013 assembly polls. Since then, he has kept in touch with the electorate.
Nakul, like his father, is said to be soft-spoken, approachable and is known to have a cool disposition. “Bhaiyya se baat karna utna hi aasan hain jitna kisi bhi karyakarta se baat karna. Woh dhyan se sunte hain aur phir kaam bhi karwate hain [He is as approachable as any party worker. He listens keenly and gets the work done, too],” said Vimal Dhurve, a supporter from Ghogri Sayani village, where the father-son duo held a rally after filing their nominations (Kamal Nath is contesting the bypoll from Chhindwara assembly seat).
Zahid Khan, a journalist, said that Nakul is well established among supporters, and sees no reason why he cannot win against a “weak” opponent like BJP’s Nathan Shah Kavreti (who lost the 2018 assembly polls from Junnardeo, which is part of the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency).
Syed Jaffer, vice president of the Congress’s media cell, said, “He is not a simple political heir, but a leader who wants to start from the grassroots and do the best for his electorate.”
After filing his nomination, Nakul said, “I do not want to speak anything political from this dais. But, I want to seek your blessings and to tell you that Kamal Nath started the development march of Chhindwara in 1980 and today we are starting a new development march for Chhindwara.”
Kamal Nath, like a typical father, said, “If he does not match your aspirations, you can tear off his clothes (take him to task in local parlance).”
NAKUL NATH, 44
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s in business administration from Bay State College, Boston
POLITICAL LINKS
Father Kamal Nath, a nine-time MP, is a former Union minister and current chief minister of Madhya Pradesh; and mother, Alka, is a former MP