Madhya Pradesh elections: New faces dominate Congress' third list

The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. The incumbent BJP government is seeking a fourth straight term. Photo: Twitter (Congress)

BHOPAL: The Congress has issued its third list of 13 candidates for the November 28 assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, which mainly comprises new faces. The party has dropped Pandhurna MLA Jatan Uikey and replaced him with Neelesh Uikey. Loyalists of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia also found place on the list. Both Scindia and Nath, the sitting MP from Chhindwara seat, are believed to be the top contenders for the chief minister's post from the Congress. With the latest list issued Monday night, the Congress has so far announced 184 nominees for the total 230 assembly constituencies. The announcement for the remaining 46 candidates is awaited as only three days are left for filing nominations. The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. The incumbent BJP government is seeking a fourth straight term. Among the 13 candidates, the Congress has fielded former state minister Deepak Saxena, a close confidante of Kamal Nath, from Chhindwara seat. Another prominent nominee is Mahendra Singh Sisodiya, a loyalist of state Congress campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has been renominated from Bamori in Guna district. The Congress seems to have reposed faith in the first-timers in its latest list. Among the new nominees are Sunil Uikey from Junnardeo and Sujit Choudhary from Chourai assembly seat in Chhindwara district. The party has replaced Pandhurna MLA Jatan Uikey with Neelesh Uikey. The Congress has also fielded Manoj Choudhary, a first-timer, from Hatpipalya in Dewas district. Other candidates who would be contesting the polls as first-time Congress nominees are Shrikant Chaturvedi (Maihar) and Ramshankar Payasi (Rampur Baghelan) in Satna district. Babita Saket who switched over to the Congress from BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) was allotted ticket from Mangavan seat in Rewa district. The Congress has fielded Tilak Raj Singh and Sammati Prakash Saini from Manpur in Umaria district and Panagar in Jabalpur district respectively. Jaipal Singh Jajji, who had lost the 2013 polls from Ashok Nagar seat, has been nominated from the same seat. Arif Masood, who had lost from Bhopal Central constituency last time, has also been given a ticket. The Congress announced its first list of 155 candidates on November 3 in which it renominated 46 MLAs. A day after, it announced the second list of 16 candidates. In the 230-member house, the Congress has 57 MLAs.