LS polls: Ex-CM Baghel files nomination from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh

Congress candidate and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday filed his nomination from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat in Chhattisgarh and expressed confidence that voters in the constituency will make him emerge victorious.

The seat is currently held by Bharatiya Janata Party's Santosh Pandey, who defeated Congress' Bholaram Sahu by a margin of 1,11, 966 votes in 2019.

The BJP has renominated Pandey from the seat.

Elections to the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 and votes will be counted on June 4. Polling in Rajnandgaon will be held on April 26.

Baghel, 62, posted his pictures of filing the nomination papers at the Rajnandgaon collectorate on his X handle and said, "Considering the trust of every citizen of Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha as a witness, I have filed my nomination today. #will_win_rajnandgaon."

Talking to reporters, the former CM expressed his gratitude to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal for choosing me as the party candidate.

"I have visited all the assembly constituencies under Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. The people and party workers are excited. Farmers, labourers and tribals are eagerly waiting for April 26. I hope I will get blessings of everyone," he added.

Rajnandgaon is a semi-urban constituency which shares borders with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

It is also the home turf of former CM and senior BJP leader Raman Singh.

Singh, the MLA from Rajnandgaon and incumbent speaker of the Chhattisgarh assembly, was elected to the Lok Sabha from this seat once in 1999.

The BJP has never lost Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, except for a parliamentary bypoll in 2007 when it was defeated by the Congress.