C'garh polls: BJP denies tickets to two MLAs in second list

The ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh Monday denied tickets to two sitting MLAs and nominated four candidates from an OBC community while releasing the second list of 11 contestants for the next month's polls.

With the latest list, the party has so far announced nominees for 89 out of total 90 Assembly constituencies, which will go to polls in two phases on November 12 and November 20.

Raipur (North) is the only constituency for which the name of BJP candidate is yet to be announced.

The BJP denied tickets to sitting legislators Ramlal Chauhan from Saraipali and Rupkumari Chaudhary from Basna, as per the list issued by Jagat Prakash Nadda, Secretary, BJP Central Election Committee.

However, the ruling party has renominated Vidyaratan Bhasin from Vaishali Nagar seat.

The party has once again given a good representation to Sahus, a dominant OBC community in the state, in this list by nominating four candidates from the community.

In its first list of 78 candidates, the party had nominated 10 Sahu candidates.

Among the four Sahu candidates, the BJP has fielded Deepak Sahu, the son of former BJP MP from Durg constituency late Tarachand Sahu, from Gunderdehi Assembly constituency.

The party has also given ticket to Kailash Sahu from Jaijaipur seat, Pawan Sahu from Sanjari Balod and Kashi Sahu from Kota.

Other candidates are Vijay Pratap Singh (Premnagar seat), Ramkishun Singh (Ramanujganj -ST), Shyam Tandi (Saraipali SC), D C Patel (Basna), Poonam Chandrakar (Mahasamund) and Tesu Dhurendhar (Baloda Bazaar).

A total of 18 assembly seats spread across eight naxal-hit districts will go to polls in the first phase on November 12 and rest 72 seats on November 20.

The opposition Congress has been trying to wrest power from the BJP which has been ruling the state since 2003 under Chief Minister Raman Singh.