Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2018: Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Thursday released its first list of six candidates for the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly polls scheduled to be held on November 12. The BSP ally Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) of former chief minister Ajit Jogi has released another list of seven candidates. The JCC (J) has forged an alliance with the BSP and the Communist Party of India (CPI). The JCC (J) has so far announced 46 candidates, including the latest list, out of total 55 seats it would be contesting, a party leader said. The BSP is contesting total 33 seats while the CPI two seats--Sukma and Dantewada.

Ajit Jogi has been nominated as the chief ministerial candidate of the coalition. As per the latest list, JCC (J) has allotted tickets to Trilochan Nayak from Basna seat, Sanjay Chelak from Aarang (SC), Rohit Sahu from Rajim, Tankeshwar Bhardawaj from Chitrakot (ST), Naval Rathia from Dharamjaigarh (ST), Phulsingh Rathia from Rampur (ST) and Munna Toppo from Sitapur (ST), said party leader Abdul Hamid Hayat. Meanwhile, BSP state unit president OP Bajpayee said the party initially wanted to contest 35 seats, but agreed to leave Konta and Dantewada from its share to ally CPI.

The BSP candidates announced Thursday are: Ashok Verma (Dongargaon), Mishri Markande (Dongargarh), Hemant Poyam (Antagarh), Brahmanand Thakur (Kanker), Jugal Kishore (Keshkal) and Narendra Netam (Kondagaon), he said. According to sources in the BSP, Richa Jogi, the daughter-in-law of Ajit Jogi will contest the polls on a BSP ticket.

However, the assembly constituency she will be contesting from is yet to be announced. Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 12 and November 20. Counting of votes will be done on December 11. The BSP-JCC(J) tie-up has added another dimension to the electoral politics of Chhattisgarh which has always been dominated by the ruling BJP and opposition Congress which have fought close contests to pocket maximum number of total 90 assembly seats.