BJP issues 1st list for MP, denies ticket to 3 ministers

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday issued its first list of 177 candidates for the single-phase November 28 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and dropped three ministers, including Urban Development Minister Maya Singh, from the list.

The party also announced 28 candidates for Telangana and 24 for Mizoram Assembly polls following a marathon meeting of the party's Central Election Committee late on Thursday chaired by BJP chief Amit Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would contest from his traditional Budhni Assembly constituency in Sehore district which he has been representing since 2005.

Besides Maya Singh, the party has denied ticket to Forest Minister Gauri Shankar Shejwar and Water Resources Minister Harsh Singh.

Shejwar of Sanchi Assmebly constituency has been replaced by his son Mudit Shejwar, while Harsh Singh representing Rampur-Baghelan Assembly constituency has been replaced by son Vikram Singh.

Maya Singh, who was elected from Gwalior East constituency in 2013, is the former Gwalior Deputy Mayor and was national President of BJP's women's wing, Bharatiya Janata Mahila Morcha.

She has been replaced by Satish Sikarwar, a party councillor from Gwalior.

The party has also shifted Women and Child Development Minister Lalita Yadav to Malhara from Chatarpur assembly constituency.

Ministers Narottam Mishra, Jayant Mallaiya and Yashodhara Raje Scindia will contest Datia, Damoh and Shivpuri seats respectively.

The names of two BJP MPs also figured on the first list. Dewas MP, Manohar Utawal will contest from Agar while Khajuraho MP Nagendra Singh will contest from Nagod.

There are 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, where the saffron party has been in power for three consecutive terms.

Besides issuing the first list for Madhya Pradesh, the BJP also released the second list for Telangana (28) and Mizoram (24) Assembly elections.

With this the party has so far announced 66 candidates for the 119-member Telangana Assembly and 37 for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly.

Earlier, the party had announced the names of 38 candidates for Telangana and 13 for Mizoram.

In Telangana the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi is seeking a second term while Mizoram is ruled by the Congress.

Voting to elect new Assemblies in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram would take place on November 28 while Telangana will vote on December 7. Counting of votes in all the states would take place on December 11.

--IANS

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