Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: AAP releases second list of 12 candidates

On September 8, the AAP had released its first list of 10 candidates for the state Assembly elections

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its second list of 12 candidates on Monday.

The party made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), stating: "Major Announcement. Our second list of candidates for the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections is OUT! All the best to all the candidates. Iss baar chalegi jhadu (this time, the broom will sweep)."

On September 8, AAP had released its first list of 10 candidates for the state Assembly elections.

In the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, AAP fielded 85 candidates, but none were successful. The Congress emerged victorious, securing a majority in the 90-member House and ending the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 15-year rule.

Implementation of PESA for Tribals

Last month, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal stated that if his party were voted to power in the upcoming Assembly elections, it would implement the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) in tribal-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal said, "We guarantee that if AAP is elected to power in Chhattisgarh, PESA will be implemented within a month of the formation of the government, in the interest of tribals and to protect their 'jal, jungle, and zameen'. All rights will be given to the gram sabha."

The PESA Act empowers gram sabhas to manage affairs per local traditions and customs. These sabhas can approve plans, programmes, and projects for social and economic development. They also possess the right to mandatory consultation in matters of land acquisition, resettlement, and rehabilitation of displaced persons.

AAP's First List of Candidates

Among the 10 candidates on the first list, five are from Scheduled Tribes (STs). The list includes Komal Hupendi, the party's state unit chief, and Tejram Vidrohi, a prominent farmers' leader.

Komal Hupendi, who unsuccessfully contested from the Bhanupratappur (ST) constituency in 2018, will run from the same constituency. He joined AAP in 2016. Tejram Vidrohi will stand for election in the Rajim constituency, while Anand Prakash Miri, head of the party's poll manifesto committee, will compete in the Akaltara constituency.

The other candidates on the list are Baloo Ram Bhawani (Dantewada-ST), Narendra Kumar Nag (Narayanpur-ST), Vishal Kelkar (Korba), Raja Ram Lakra (Pathalgaon-ST), Khadagraj Singh (Kawardha), Surendra Gupta (Bhatgaon), and Leos Minj (Kunkuri-ST).