The Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) made vital bulletins on Saturday, revealing it has chosen candidates for all 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh. The choice noticed the exclusion of 4 sitting MPs whereas introducing an incumbent state minister into the combination.
The listing unveiled three ladies leaders, amongst them a former Member of Parliament (MP) and a former Member of the Legislative Meeting (MLA).
Based on the PTI, of the 11 candidates, three hail from Different Backward Courses (OBC), 4 belong to tribal communities, and one represents the Scheduled Caste (SC) group. Whereas the BJP kept away from providing tickets to sitting MPs in Raipur, Mahasamund, Kanker, and Janjgir seats, it did renominate Vijay Baghel and Santosh Pandey for the Durg and Rajnandgaon constituencies, respectively.
The finalised candidates embody Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur seat), Santosh Pandey (Rajnandgaon), Vijay Baghel (Durg), Chintamani Maharaj (Surguja), Radheshyam Rathiya (Raigarh), Tokhan Sahu (Bilaspur), Mahesh Kashyap (Bastar), Bhojraj Nag (Kanker), and three ladies candidates – Saroj Pandey (Korba), Kamlesh Jangde (Janjgir), and Rupkumari Choudhary (Mahasamund).
Agrawal, a longstanding eight-time MLA and a distinguished face inside the occasion, presently serves as a minister within the Vishnu Deo Sai authorities. His constant profitable streak in meeting elections since 1990 and former ministerial roles underscore his political acumen.
Though the BJP retained sitting MPs Vijay Baghel (Durg) and Santosh Pandey (Rajnandgaon), their backgrounds and affect inside the occasion fluctuate considerably.
Vijay Baghel, a revered chief of the Kurmi group, beforehand contested the meeting elections in opposition to the then Chief Minister of the ruling Congress, Bhupesh Baghel, showcasing his resilience within the political enviornment. Pandey, however, boasts a powerful foothold within the occasion’s state organisation, with roots within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The BJP’s strategic candidate deployment extends to the inclusion of Chintamani Maharaj, a defector from the Congress, who’s now contesting from the Surguja parliamentary seat. Maharaj, a two-term former MLA, is the son of the late Sant Rameshwar Gahira Guru, a distinguished social employee famend for his affect amongst tribals in north Chhattisgarh.
Emphasising range, the BJP has nominated candidates from varied backgrounds and areas, highlighting inclusivity in its electoral technique for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh.
Notably, like Vijay Baghel, three extra BJP MPs – Arun Sao (Bilaspur), Renuka Singh (Surguja), and Gomti Sai (Raigarh) – efficiently transitioned from meeting to parliamentary roles in final yr’s elections. Sao was appointed Deputy Chief Minister within the state after the BJP assumed energy. Radheshaym Rathiya, the nominee for the Raigarh seat, is a contemporary face within the electoral enviornment, having represented panchayat our bodies prior to now. Saroj Pandey, a distinguished feminine chief of the BJP whose time period as a Rajya Sabha member not too long ago concluded, has been nominated for Korba. Pandey beforehand served as a Lok Sabha member from Durg and as an MLA.
Former MLAs Rupkumari Chaudhary and Bhojraj Nag are the occasion’s candidates for Mahasamund and Kanker seats, respectively. Kamlesh Jangde (Janjgir seat) and Mahesh Kashyap (Bastar) are additionally new faces within the electoral fray.
Of the eleven constituencies within the state, 4 – Surguja, Bastar, Raigarh, and Kanker – are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, whereas Janjgir-Champa is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) class.