Denial, Delay, Dilemma: Congress Likely To Change Amla Candidate As Dy Collector Nish Bangre's Resignation Accepted

The State Government of Madhya Pradesh accepted the resignation of Deputy Collector Nisha Bangre on Tuesday (24 October), a day after the Congress announced its candidate for the Amla seat in the upcoming assembly polls.

32-year-old Nisha Bangre was initially expected to contest from Amla on a Congress ticket. However, with a delay in her resignation proceedings, the party announced Manoj Malve as its candidate on Monday. Malve had earlier contested the election from here in 2018 but lost to BJP's Dr Yogesh Pandagre. This seat has been with the BJP since 2008.

The General Administration Department of the MP Government issued an order on 23 October, which concluded the departmental proceedings against Bangre. These proceedings were initiated when she was accused of disregarding a government order that prohibited her from attending an all-religion prayer for the inauguration of her new home in Amla of Betul district.

Following a plea by Bangre regarding the delay in accepting her resignation, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the government to make a decision on her resignation and complete the proceedings against her by Monday.

The Congress had earlier announced its candidates for 229 out of 230 Assembly seats in the State but had not announced the candidate for the Amla seat. Party sources confirmed that the party intended to field Bangre for the seat, pending a decision on her resignation.

"When my struggle was going on, Congress spoke about standing with me. When I was arrested, Congress leaders were with me. They had assured me that they would wait for my resignation. So, I would like to meet Kamal Nath today and ask him about his stand as I have resigned and now I am independent to fight for the people," Bangre told ANI.

Asserting that she "will definitely contest the election", Bangre said, "I want to be a part of democracy - becoming an MLA is a part of it. I will definitely file my nomination..."

The media in-charge of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, KK Mishra, stated that the party had been waiting for the government to acknowledge the resignation of their candidate. However, the BJP cleverly accepted the resignation on Monday but deliberately released the order dated 23 October on Tuesday, after the Congress had already announced their candidate.

"Why was the government so afraid of Nisha Bangre when she had not even declared which party she would contest the elections from? Were they waiting for Amla to be declared the Congress candidate?" he questioned as per The Hindu report.

According to a source within the Congress, there is a possibility that the party will replace the candidate for the Amla seat.

Bangre, a Deputy Collector in Chhatarpur district and a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC), has been protesting against the BJP government in the State since June. She was denied permission to attend an all-religion prayer, leading her to resign just hours before the inauguration function and participate in it.

After her resignation was not accepted by the government, she sought the intervention of the High Court on 7 August. In response, the High Court instructed the government to promptly make a decision regarding her resignation. However, on 21 August, the government initiated disciplinary proceedings against her and used it as a means to obtain a stay on the court's directions.

In September, Bangre initiated a foot march from her home district of Betul to Bhopal, demanding the acceptance of her resignation. On 9 October, as the march reached Bhopal, she was arrested when her supporters decided to march to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's residence. However, she was released on bail the following day.

Bangre recently approached the Supreme Court for intervention in the matter. However, the SC rejected her plea, stating that the matter was already pending before the High Court. Nevertheless, the SC expressed hope for a speedy decision on the matter.