Kamlesh Shah Secures Amarwara Victory in Tightly Contested Bypoll

BJP’s Kamlesh Shah won the bypoll for Amarwara (ST) assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh by defeating Congress rival Dheeran Shah Invati by 3,027 votes after 21 rounds of counting. This was a significant win for BJP, overcoming the former Congress stronghold of Kamal Nath.

BJP’s Kamlesh Shah triumphed in the fiercely contested bypoll for Amarwara (ST) assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, defeating his closest rival, Congress’s Dheeran Shah Invati, by a narrow margin of 3,027 votes after 21 rigorous rounds of counting.

Shah amassed 83,105 votes, while Invati closely followed with 80,078, according to poll officials. The Amarwara seat, a segment of the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency, has been a traditional Congress bastion, once dominated by Kamal Nath and recently overtaken by BJP.

The Gondwana Gantantra Party's Devraman Bhalavi secured third place with 28,638 votes, in elections that extended into an unplanned 21st round due to an EVM malfunction necessitating Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) counts.

Initially, Invati led the race until the 17th round before Shah gained an advantage in the final three rounds. Notably, Shah, a former Congress member who switched to BJP in March, prompted this bypoll. He had previously represented Amarwara three times as a Congress member.

This victory adds a notable win for BJP, marking their fourth capture of this constituency historically, while Congress has won it nine times and GGP once.

The bypoll was crucial for both BJP and Congress as Chhindwara district was considered a Kamal Nath stronghold until recently. BJP’s recent success in Chhindwara was highlighted by Vivek Bunty Sahu's win over Nakul Nath in the Lok Sabha elections.

Consequently, BJP’s win in Amarwara increases their tally to 163 MLAs in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly, while Congress holds 63 MLAs and Bharat Adivasi Party one, with three seats vacant.