Team News Riveting
Raipur, October 15
Congress on Sunday issued the first list of candidates for the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, dropping 27 per cent of its sitting MLAs to recontest the ensuing state polls.
Chhattisgarh goes to the assembly elections in two phases on November 7 and 17. While the BJP has released the list of 85 candidates out of 90 assembly constituencies in the state, Congress today issued the first list of 30 candidates. Of the candidates declared, eight will be the new faces for the electorate.
All the state stalwarts of the party have been pushed into the election arena. They include Speaker Charan Das Mahant, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo, senior ministers Mohammed Akbar, Ravindra Choubey, Jai Singh Agrawal, Shiv Daharia, Kawasi Lakhma, Amarjeet Bhagat, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij and others.
The Chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation, Girish Dewangan will take on former Chief Minister Raman Singh in Rajnandgaon assembly constituency. State Minister Rudra Guru changed his seat from Ahiwara to Nawagarh, which Guru Dayal Banjare represents in the present assembly.
Besides Banjare, seven sitting MLAs have been dropped to recontest the assembly elections on Congress ticket. They include Bhuneshwar Shobharam Baghel (Dongargarh), Mamata Chandrakar (Pandariya), Channi Chandu Sahu (Khujji), Anoop Nag (Antagarh), Shishu Pal Shori (Kanker), Rajman Venjam (Chikrakot) and Devti Karma (Dantewada).
The Congress however expressed faith in the Karma family in Dantewada and fielded Devti’s son Chavindra Mahendra Karma from the constituency.
