Chhattisgarh election: 8 MLAs dropped, CM Baghel to contest from citadel

The Congress denied tickets to eight sitting legislators and re-nominated 22 MLAs, including chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and his deputy TS Singh Deo, in its first list of 30 candidates announced on Sunday for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections scheduled next month.

The Congress denied tickets to eight sitting legislators and re-nominated 22 MLAs, including chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and his deputy TS Singh Deo, in its first list of 30 candidates announced on Sunday for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections scheduled next month.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. (PTI)

The Congress, which is eyeing to retain power in the state, has fielded all cabinet ministers besides assembly speaker Charan Das Mahant.

Of the 30 seats for which the Congress announced its candidates, 14 are reserved for the scheduled tribe (ST) and three for the scheduled caste (SC) categories. In rest of the 13 general seats, the Congress has fielded nine candidates belonging to other backward classes (OBCs). Four women candidates, including a sitting minister and two legislators, are also in the list released by the ruling party.

Elections to the 90-member assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Polling for 20 seats will be held in the first phase while the second phase will see voting in the remaining 70 constituencies. Results will be announced on December 3.

“The first list of Congress seems to be based upon ground surveys and strategy. Denying tickets to eight sitting MLAs — a rarity for the party — suggests that winnability was the prime factor in deciding tickets,” a Congress leader, who was part of the screening process for candidate selection, said, requesting anonymity.

Among the bigwigs, CM Baghel will be contesting from the traditional Patan seat while his deputy TS Singh Deo from his Ambikapur seat. Assembly speaker Charan Das Mahant has been renominated from his Sakti seat.

Lok Sabha MP from Bastar Deepak Baij will also contest the assembly polls from Chitrakot constituency. Baij, who is also the state Congress president, Baij had won the 2018 assembly elections from Chitrakot in Bastar division, but he vacated the seat after winning the Lok Sabha polls the following year. The assembly seat is currently held by Rajman Benzam of the Congress.

The ruling party has declared its candidates for 19 out of the 20 seats (except Jagdalpur), which will vote in the first phase.

“Candidates have been declared for 19 of the 20 seats going to polls in the first phase (on November 7). The candidate for Jagdalpur will be declared soon. We will achieve the target of winning 75 seats,” Baij told reporters, adding that the list has been announced on the auspicious day of Navratri and the party “will get the blessing of the goddess”.

Minister Guru Rudra Kumar, who won the 2018 polls from Ahiwara constituency in Durg district, will contest from Navagarh (SC) seat in neighbouring Bemetara district. Chavindra Karma, son of sitting MLA Devti Karma and late Congress leader Mahendra Karma, will contest from Dantewada.

Chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Girish Dewangan has been fielded from Rajnandgaon seat against former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Raman Singh.

Stressing CM Baghel’s imprint on the list, another Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said: “Sitting MLA Chhanni Sahu denied ticket because she was continuously questioning the Baghel-led government. Girish Devangan, close friend of Baghel, who was recently in news over ED raids has been fielded against Raman Singh. Also, most of the fresh faces are those close to Baghel. This clearly reflects that Baghel had a greater say in ticket distribution.”

In the previous state elections in 2018, the Congress won 68 of the 90 seats while the BJP, which was in power in Chhattisgarh since 2003, managed to get only 16 seats.

The BJP, which has already announced its candidates for 85 seats, including the 20 seats that will go to polls in the first phase, said the Congress has renominated those who had given “protection to corruption”.

“The way the Congress has denied tickets to eight MLAs shows Bhupesh Baghel has put the blame on his MLAs for the failure of his government to deliver. The Congress has renominated those candidates who have given protection to corruption. It shows the party’s intention to commit scams (if it retains power),” state BJP chief Arun Sao said.

The BJP leader further said that the Congress was pretending to be “Sanatani” by declaring its first list on the first day of Navratri, but “(communal) events in Kawardha, Biranpur and Mohla Manpur show the party’s hatred for Sanatan Dharma and its followers”.