The upcoming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh have brought the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into the spotlight as they strategically rely on their old guard. In a bid to secure victory, the party has granted tickets to 11 sitting MLAs and also chosen to renominate 13 leaders who had previously faced defeat in the 2018 polls. Seizing the opportunity, the BJP promptly released its second list of candidates for the 64 assembly seats, right after the Election Commission announced the polling dates for Chhattisgarh and four other states. As the Maoist-affected state prepares for a two-phase polling on November 7 (20 seats) and November 17 (70 seats), the BJP’s selection of candidates is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the future of Chhattisgarh’s political landscape.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced candidates for 85 seats, leaving only five positions remaining to be filled. Former Chief Minister Raman Singh will be running for re-election in his traditional Rajnandgaon constituency, while Narayan Prasad Chandel, the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, has been renominated for his current seat in Janjir-Champa. Anuj Sharma, a popular Chhattisgarhi filmstar who recently joined the BJP, will be contesting from Dharsiwa in Raipur district. Ishwar Sahu, a villager whose son was killed in a communal clash earlier this year, is also on the candidate list. However, sitting MLA Damrudhar Pujari has been denied a ticket, with legislator Dharamjeet Singh taking his place. Singh, who joined the BJP after being expelled from the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) last year, will be running from the Takhatpur seat. The candidate list includes three MPs, including a Union minister, as well as two former IAS officers. It also features more than 20 new faces and nine women candidates. Out of the 64 seats announced on Monday, 19 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and nine for Scheduled Castes (SC). State BJP president and Bilaspur Member of Parliament Arun Sao will be running from Lormi, Surguja MP and Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh from Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST reserved), and Raigarh Lok Sabha member Gomti Sai from Pathalgaon (ST). Other incumbent MLAs who have been retained include Brijmohan Agrawal, Punnulal Mohile, Nankiram Kanwar, Dharamlal Kaushik, Dr. Krishnamurti Bandhi, Saurabh Singh, Shivratan Sharma, Ajay Chandrakar, and Rajana Dipendra Sahu. The BJP has also shown confidence in candidates who lost in the 2018 elections, such as Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Bhaiyyalal Rajwade, Ramdayal Uikey, Kedar Kashyap, Mahesh Gagda, Prem Prakash Pandey, Dayaldas Baghel, Rajesh Munat, Vikram Usendi, Amar Agrawal, and Sanyogita Singh Judev. Sanyogita Judev, the wife of the late Yuddhvir Singh Judev, who was the son of BJP stalwart Dilip Singh Judev, will be running from Chandrapur. Another son of Dilip Singh Judev, Prabal Pratap Singh Judev, has been nominated for the Kota seat. Former IAS officer OP Chaudhary, who previously lost in Kharsia, will now run in Raigarh.
The BJP has made significant candidate selections for the upcoming elections in Basna and Raipur Rural. Sampat Agrawal, a former independent candidate, has been chosen as the BJP nominee in Basna, while Motilal Sahu, a BJP leader, will be running in Raipur Rural. These strategic choices demonstrate the party’s commitment to fielding strong contenders in key constituencies. As the elections draw closer, the political landscape in Chhattisgarh is poised for an engaging and closely contested battle. Stay tuned for further updates on this unfolding political saga.
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