BJP has fielded Lok Sabha MP Vijay Baghel from Patan, Bhulan Singh Maravi from Premnagar, Laxmi Rajwade from Bhatgaon, Shakuntala Singh Porthe from Pratappur (ST), Praboj Bhinj from Lundra (ST), Sarla Kosaria from Saraipali (SC), Alka Chandrakar from Khallari, Rohit Sahu from Rajim, Gita Ghasi Sahu from Khujji and Maniram Kashyap from Bastar (ST), among others.
BJP also announced its first list for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. The party named its candidates for 39 of the 230 seats which will go to the polls later this year.
This is the first time the party has released its candidates' list even before the Election Commission of India announces the poll dates.
As per reports, PM Modi asked the party's top brass to announce its first list of candidates as early as possible so that they get enough time to do the groundwork ahead of the elections.
BJP state chief Arun Sao told PTI, "BJP takes every election very seriously and that's why the central leadership decided to release the names of candidates for Chhattisgarh Assembly elections before the announcement of poll dates so that they get more time to go to the public."
The names were decided at the BJP's Central Election Committee meeting on Wednesday which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, and party chief J P Nadda, among other senior leaders.
Notably, apart from Chhattisgarh and MP, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram are scheduled to go to polls later this year.
The BJP is in power only in Madhya Pradesh and is running an intense campaign to oust the Congress government in Chhattisgarh.