In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its list of 64 candidates for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. Notably, the party has strategically chosen candidates, including key Members of Parliament (MPs), to contest various seats.
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and BJP national vice-president, Dr. Raman Singh, will be contesting from the Rajnandgaon seat, where he currently serves as the incumbent MLA. Among other prominent names in the list are Renuka Singh from Bharatpur-Sonhat, Gomati Sai from Pathalgaon, and Arun Sao from Lormi.
In a second list, the BJP has announced candidates for additional constituencies, with Vishnu Dev Sai from Kunkuri, OP Choudhary in Raigarh, Ramdayal Uikey from Pali-Tanakhar, Punnulal Mohale in Mungeli, Dharamjeet Singh in Takhatpur, Dharamlal Kaushik in Bilha, and Brijmohan Agarwal vying for the Raipur City South seat.
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These candidates are expected to play crucial roles in the BJP's electoral strategy as the state prepares for Assembly elections.
Notably, the BJP is making strategic moves to regain political ground in Chhattisgarh after facing a significant defeat in the 2018 Assembly polls. Factors such as anti-incumbency sentiments, corruption allegations, and a lack of coordination between the party organization and the government contributed to their loss. Moreover, the support from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the Congress was instrumental in that election.
To address this challenge, the BJP has taken steps to appeal to the OBC vote. In the 2018 elections, the party fielded 14 candidates from the Sahu community, a numerically dominant OBC group, but only one emerged victorious. In a strategic move, the BJP appointed Arun Sao, an MP from the Sahu community, as its state unit chief, potentially bolstering its prospects in the upcoming elections.
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Furthermore, the BJP's choice of candidates for various constituencies reflects a shift toward second-tier leaders within the party. Additionally, the party has opted for a collective leadership approach for the elections, refraining from projecting any one individual as its chief ministerial candidate, marking a departure from the era of the three-time CM, Raman Singh.
With 90 seats in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, the BJP has already declared candidates for 21 seats, indicating its determination to regain political momentum in the state.
