Chhattisgarh Congress To Release First List Of Poll Candidates Tomorrow: CM Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel informed that the Congress party's first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls will be unveiled on Sunday

File Photo of Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

Source : PTI

The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, on Saturday informed that the Congress party's first list of candidates for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly polls will be unveiled on Sunday. The assembly polls are scheduled to be conducted in two phases, with the first phase taking place on November 7 and the second on November 17. The election results will be counted and announced on December 3.

"Tomorrow the first list of candidates of our party will be released. Another list for the second phase will be released later," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

When questioned about the party's strategy concerning the former Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Raman Singh, who is contesting from Rajnandgaon, Baghel responded that both the strategy and the candidate's name would become apparent once the party's list is made public, as per PTI.

Of the 20 seats set for the first phase of the assembly polls, the Congress party currently holds 19, with 17 having been won during the 2018 polls and an additional two secured later through bypolls. In the 2018 polls, the Rajnandgaon seat was clinched by Raman Singh, who defeated Karuna Shukla with a margin of 16,933 votes.

When asked about the BJP's potential advantage in light of parties like the Ajit Jogi-founded Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and other smaller outfits, Baghel responded, "You have to understand the chronology. On one hand, Amit Jogi (of the Ajit Jogi-founded party) files a case in court, on the other hand, he gets security. The alliance between the JCC(J) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has ended. The BSP has formed a coalition with the Gondwana Gantantra Party, and the BSP is now in alliance with the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also acting as the BJP's 'B team' in this context, trying to undermine the Congress."

Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party is an ally of the Congress in the opposition bloc the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.). Baghel, however, emphasised that the people of Chhattisgarh were astute observers of such developments, PTI reported.

Taking a swipe at Raman Singh, the Chief Minister stated, "It is not the BJP contesting but Singh and his team. Raman Singh's role is evident in ticket distribution. People are aware, and they will not fall into the trap of those who ruled the state for 15 years."

Raman Singh served as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh from 2003 to 2018.

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