A representation image (rediff.com)
In a shocking move, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) released the first list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on August 17. This comes a day after BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) reviewed the poll preparations in Chhattisgarh. Both neighbouring states are having assembly elections this year.
This is the first time the BJP has announced the names of candidates even before the Election Commission of India announces the poll dates. The party released a list of as many as 39 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. A list of 21 candidates was announced for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections. Chhattisgarh has a 90-member state assembly whereas Madhya Pradesh has a 230-members state assembly.
Notably, BJP’s Chhattisgarh list comprises five women, 10 candidates from Scheduled Tribes and one from the Scheduled Castes category. For Madhya Pradesh, the party has chosen five women, eight Scheduled Caste candidates and 13 Scheduled Tribes candidates.
Chhattisgarh Assembly elections
The list for Chhattisgarh polls includes the name of five women candidates including Laxmi Rajwade, Shakuntala Singh Porthe, Sarla Kosaria, Alka Chandrakar, and Geeta Ghasi Sahu.
The list also includes the name of Durg MP Vijay Baghel, a distant nephew of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Vijay Baghel is to contest the poll from Patan assembly seat.
The party had earlier named the Durg MP, who was in Congress till 2000, as in charge of its manifesto committee, heading a group of 30 leaders.
Of 90 seats, the CEC discussed the panel of candidates on 27 seats, the sources said, adding that the party has categorised seats into four categories – A, B, C, and D – for better planning in its electoral effort.
They said that classification will help give sharper focus to seats that the party considers weak.
While ‘A’ category seats are those which BJP has won every time in the past polls, ‘B’ category has seats the party has had mixed results in terms of win and loss, the sources said.
The ‘C’ category has seats where BJP is weak while the ‘D’ category comprises those constituencies which BJP has never won, they said.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections
The first list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections include Sarla Vijendra Rawat – Sabalgarh constituency Adal Singh Kansana – Sumawali constituency, Lal Singh Arya – Gohad (SC) constituency, Preetam Lodhi – Pichhore constituency, Priyanka Meena – Chachoura constituency, Jagannath Singh Raghuvanshi – Chanderi constituency, Veerendra Singh Lambardar – Banda constituency and others.
Five states – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram – will be going to polls in November-December this year. Out of the five states, the BJP is in power only in Madhya Pradesh and is running an intense campaign to oust the Congress government in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and the BRS in Telangana.
First time in history
The BJP had announced its list of candidates in Karnataka late compared to its rivals in the state. The party lost the polls in the southern state.
The early declaration of the first list in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh is being seen as a move to give more time to candidates to campaign.
BJP is the first national party to declare candidates for both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The announcement comes a day after discussions in the Party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting regarding poll preparations for Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
The meeting was held at BJP headquarters and discussions concerning Chhattisgarh lasted for about two hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Chhattisgarh election in charge Om Prakash Mathur, co-incharge Mansukh Mandviya and former Chief Minister Raman Singh were among the leaders present at the meeting.
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