The BJP on Wednesday (October 25) released its fourth list of candidates for the remaining four seats for the upcoming Chhattisgarh elections, denying ticket to a sitting MLA. With the latest list, the main opposition party has announced its candidates for all the 90 assembly constituencies in the state.
All four seats are of unreserved category for which the party has put up fresh faces.
In the high-profile Ambikapur seat, the party has fielded Rajesh Agrawal. Deputy Chief Minister and incumbent MLA TS Singh Deo is the Congress nominee from Ambikapur.
Sitting MLA from Beltara seat Rajnish Singh has been denied a ticket, with the party fielding 40-year-old Sushant Shukla, from there. Shukla, a former member of the state youth commission, is co-incharge of the state Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing.
The two other candidates, Dhaniram Dhiwar (Kasdol seat) and Dipesh Sahu (Bemetara), are also fresh faces. In Kasdol, Dhaniram Dhivar will contest against Sandeep Sahu, chairman of Telghani Vikas Board. Sitting Congress MLA Shakuntala Sahu lost her ticket to Sandeep Sahu. In Bemetara, Dipesh Sahu will contest against Congress candidate and sitting MLA Ashish Chhabra.
Of the 90 candidates from BJP, 33 are from OBC (Other Backward Class), 30 from Scheduled Tribe (ST), 10 from Scheduled Caste (SC), state BJP media joint in-charge Anurag Agrawal said. The party has denied tickets to two of the 13 incumbent MLAs this time.
The ruling Congress has also announced candidates for all 90 seats.
Polling for 90 Assembly constituencies will be in two phases on November 7 and 17, and counting of votes on December 3.