The decision was taken after the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting of the party. Chief Minister Raman Singh is set to contest from Rajnandgaon seat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of 77 candidates for the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh on Saturday and announced to contest polls on 38 out of 119 seats in Telangana.
Among the 77 candidates announced out of a total of 90 Assembly segments, 14 are women candidates and 14 sitting MLAs have been replaced with new names, Union minister J P Nadda said. The list was finalised at the BJP’s central election committee meeting that was chaired by party president Amit Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others.
Among those fielded by the BJP include former IAS officer O P Chaudhary and tribal leader Ramdayal Uike, who recently left the Congress and joined the BJP.
Announcing the list, Telangana BJP election in-charge Nadda further said that BJP will also contest Mizoram Assembly elections on 13 seats.
Eighteen naxal-affected constituencies will go to polls in the first phase on November 12, while the rest of the 72 constituencies would go to polls in the second phase on November 20.
Earlier in the day, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party had also released its second list of 12 candidates. The party has forged an alliance with former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the Communist Party of India, and will contest 33 Assembly seats.
Meanwhile, nine more candidates have filed nomination papers for the first phase of Chhattisgarh polls. This takes the number of candidates who have filed their papers to 11.
On Saturday, two candidates each filed their papers for Rajnandgaon, Antagarh and Dantewada seats and one each for Khairagarh, Dongargarh and Dongargaon, an official said.
For Dantewada seat, Congress’s Devti Karma and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) Nanda Ram Sori filed their papers. Karma is the sitting Congress MLA from Dantewada. Others who filed nomination papers Saturday included Dinesh Singh (Shiv Sena) from Khairagarh and Rajkumar Sahu (Shiv Sena) from Dongargaon.
Nominations cannot be filed on Sunday, it being holiday, so only two days — October 22 and 23 — are now left for filing of nominations for the first phase, the official said.
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In an unprecedented move, BJP is contemplating dropping more than half its sitting MLAs in Rajasthan to cushion its prospects in the assembly polls from the discontent against incumbent legislators. Well-placed party sources said 80-100 of the 160 sitting MLAs might be replaced in what could arguably be the biggest-ever political culling of incumbent MLAs belonging to any party.
The party move is also to send a message to lawmakers in other states as well as members of Lok Sabha about the risk of being dropped on the basis of feedback about their performance which is being gathered, apart from traditional channels, through PM Modi’s Namo app. The app is being increasingly used by people to give feedback on the performance of their representatives directly to the PM. “Voters could be revengeful as a large number of MLAs continued passing the buck and didn’t serve the electorate as per expectations,” said a source privy to the decision to replace a majority of sitting MLA .
Sources said the party will field young first-time candidates to stem anti-incumbency as new faces, who have been involved in serving the people for years, can water down the anger among people and assure them of a better performance. Performance is a major issue in BJP deciding new candidates but changing caste equations in the state are an equally important factor to replace existing MLAs.
The Rajput community, traditional BJP supporters, seems to be drifting towards Congress whereas the Meenas in eastern Rajasthan are veering towards BJP after community leader Kirori Lal joined the party recently and was made Rajya Sabha MP. Among the three-poll bound states ruled by BJP, the party is said to be struggling the most in Rajasthan thanks to the state’s over three-decade trend of changing the government every five years.
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The BJP would be roping in magicians to highlight the work done by it in the last 15 years and compare it with that of the previous Congress government, Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal said.
Seeking a fourth straight term in Madhya Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intends to cast a ‘magic spell’ on voters during the upcoming state Assembly polls.
The party would be roping in magicians to highlight the work done by it in the last 15 years and compare it with that of the previous Congress government, MP BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal told PTI.
“We have plans to hire magicians for campaigning and publicity,” he said, adding that magic shows would be organised at market places to reach out to voters, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.
The number of magicians to be utilised for this is yet to be decided. But, the BJP hopes to start the magic shows soon and budget allocation for these activities is also being worked out, Agrawal said.
“With this art, we are going to tell people about what the BJP government has done for people, especially the weaker sections of society in Madhya Pradesh in the last 15 years,” the spokesman said.
The magic shows would also highlight the “poor condition” of roads, electricity supply and basic amenities during the 10-year Congress government headed by Digvijay Singh between 1993 and 2003 in the state, he said.
The MP Assembly polls will be held on November 28 and counting of votes will take place on December 11.
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When a senior Congress leader was asked about his party’s prospects in the three poll-bound Hindi heartland states, he had this assessment to offer: “We should win Rajasthan, it’s touch-and-go in Madhya Pradesh but I am not sure about Chhattisgarh… we are in trouble there.”
In Chhattisgarh, Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 12 and November 20. Madhya Pradesh will vote on November 28 and Rajasthan on December 7. The votes will be counted on December 11.
Reports from Chhattisgarh corroborate the Congress leader’s assessment. The Raman Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party government has been in power for three consecutive terms. After 15 years at the helm, it would be safe to assume that the government faces anti-incumbency pressure and voter fatigue, which should make it easy for the Congress to dislodge it. On the contrary, the Congress has failed to get its act together and may just end up gifting another term to the BJP.
“It is a fact that the Congress campaign against the BJP here lacks punch,” said Chhattisgarh-based social activist Vikram Singhal. “Its leaders have not raised issues with the ferocity expected of an Opposition party that has been out of power for 15 years.”
Congress leaders have been attacking individuals and pointing to their misdemeanours but there is no concerted effort to take on the government’s anti-people policies and build a larger narrative, he said. “For instance, the Congress has failed to expose how this government has virtually sold the state’s rich natural resources to corporates and industrial houses,” he said. “No one talks about the large sums of money spent on building a new capital city, which is barely occupied by a handful of families.”
Chhattisgarh Congress leaders speak in the same vein. They admit that though there are a host of subjects on which they can pin down the BJP, their attack has, at best, been lacklustre. They say many senior party leaders have shied away from taking on the ruling dispensation because they are dependent on government handouts while others are virtually seen as an extension of the Raman Singh cabinet.
Weak leadership
Most importantly, the Congress is handicapped by a weak state leadership.
Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel had barely settled into his job when he found himself in the eye of a storm. He was arrested in September in connection with the distribution of a pornographic CD allegedly featuring state minister Rajesh Munat. Munat has claimed that the CD is fake and an attempt to defame him.
Days later, Baghel was in the dock again, this time over an audio sting in which he is allegedly heard demanding money for tickets. The audio clip was delivered to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi set up a five-member committee to scrutinise the recommendations of the state unit for the distribution of tickets – undermining Baghel’s position.
While the Congress is struggling to set its house in order, the BJP is moving ahead confidently, aware that it has several advantages over its political opponent. The party has ample resources, a well-oiled organisation, and governments both in the state and at the Centre. In addition, Raman Singh’s personal popularity has not been dented.
Poaching strategy
On the flip side, there is growing anger against BJP ministers and legislators. Taking note of this, BJP president Amit Shah announced that 50% of sitting MLAs would not be repeated. The party hopes to duck anti-incumbency against individual legislators by denying them tickets and fielding fresh faces. At the same time, BJP strategists are said to have identified seats where the Congress has a strong base with the express purpose of poaching the rival party’s candidates from these constituencies.
The BJP set the ball rolling with the induction of Ram Dayal Uike, working president of the Congress state unit and a top Adivasi leader, on October 13. Others could join him as the BJP’s “Operation Congress todo” (Operation break the Congress) is expected to gather momentum as the election draws near. It can be assumed that money power will be used for this campaign. The focus will be on Adivasi leaders as the Congress had done well among this community in the last Assembly election.
In fact, there is a growing fear in the Congress that the BJP will whisk away its candidates close to the date of filing nominations. This had happened twice in 2014. A day after the Congress had declared Bhagirath Prasad its candidate from Bhind Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh, he had switched sides and contested as a BJP candidate. Months later, Manturam Pawar, the Congress candidate from Antagarh Assembly seat in Chhattisgarh, had ditched the party for the BJP after filing his nomination.
The Ajit Jogi factor
There is a common factor in these developments: former chief minister and rebel Congress leader Ajit Jogi. Both Uike and Pawar are known to be close to Jogi, who launched his party, the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh, in 2016. Known as the BJP’s B-team, Jogi worked in tandem with Raman Singh even when he was with the Congress. Now that he is out of the party fold, his primary aim is to destroy the Congress, political watchers say.
“Jogi will go to any length to ensure the defeat of Congress candidates and it is the same with the Congress,” said Singhal. In the process, he will help the BJP. Since the difference of vote share between the BJP and the Congress is a mere 0.7% and the margins of victory are narrow, the presence of a third party in a bipolar state will work to the saffron party’s advantage. The BJP is banking on Jogi to disturb the Congress’ Adivasi vote as the former chief minister has a substantial following among the Satnami community.
Moreover, Jogi’s partnership with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has added a fresh dimension to electoral dynamics in Chhattisgarh. The two leaders have the potential to wean away a chunk of Adivasi and Dalit votes, which will hurt the Congress as it is also wooing the same social constituency. It was with an eye on consolidating the Dalit vote in its favour that the Congress had approached Mayawati for a tie-up in the Assembly polls. But the talks fell through and Mayawati announced in September that she had decided to go with Jogi instead.
While the Jogi-Mayawati alliance deals a blow to the Congress’ plan of winning over the Scheduled Castes, it could also have consequences for the BJP, which made major gains in Scheduled Caste reserved constituencies in the 2013 election. The BJP is, therefore, taking no chances and has set its sights on Congress candidates who can be persuaded to switch sides.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked Congress days ahead of Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and said that the opposition has lost ground in Madhya Pradesh. Speaking to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, Modi said, “Opposition has no issues to fight on Madhya Pradesh. Our development agendas have disappointed them that they are resorting to useless means of opposing. We have made Madhya Pradesh ‘Bemisaal Rajya’ from what people called it as ‘Beemaru Rajya’. Congress has lost ground in MP.” Assembly elections at Madhya Pradesh are due in November 28.
Swami Paripoornananda, head of Sree Peetham mutt, joined the BJP today in the presence of party president Amit Shah. He is likely to be a key face of the BJP in the two Telugu speaking states in India – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. His entry is particularly significant given the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana.
Reports suggest he is interested in contesting from Telangana either in the state polls or in the 2019 general election.
“I am happy to be part of this party…I am grateful to BJP president Amit Shah and Ram Madhav ji. I will follow them and work,” he said after being welcomed into the party by Amit Shah and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav
“I will work 24*7. I need nothing because Telugu people have given me a lot. I come here as a karmachari (worker) and will remain a karmayogi (one who desires nothing for his work),” Swami Paripoornananda said at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
Swami Paripoornananda, often described as the “Yogi Adityanath of the south”, was banned from Hyderabad for six months in July for allegedly making provocative statements. The Hyderabad High Court suspended the ban in August.
Though his Mutt is located in Kakinada in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, he has a significant following in Telangana as well.
Earlier this year, Swami Paripoornananda had demanded the arrest of Telugu actor and movie critic Kathi Mahesh over his alleged statements against Hindu deities and said he had “hurt” Hindu sentiment.
“It is a day of joy for the BJP because Swami Paripoornananda has joined the party. He has contributed immensely in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and all the southern states in the fields of social work, religion and public awakening…Earlier his blessings were with us, now he is with us himself,” Amit Shah said, welcoming Swami Paripoornananda into the party.
“We expect that his joining the party will benefit the BJP across the south, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I believe his entry will energise the party in the Telangana elections and increase our chances of victory,” the BJP president added.
Shah claimed that the presence of nearly one lakh booth-level workers and their eagerness showed that the BJP would win 65-plus seats in the forthcoming state Assembly polls
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on October 13 asked the party workers to ensure that the saffron party retained power in Chhattisgarh in next month’s Assembly election by winning over 65 of the 90 seats.
The Chhattisgarh Assembly polls will be held in two phases — on November 12 and 20 — and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 11.
Shah was addressing a convention of the booth-level BJP workers from Raipur and Durg divisions at the Science College ground here.
He told the workers that the BJP had reached the “pinnacle of success”, but its target would only be achieved when it attained power in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.
Shah claimed that the presence of nearly one lakh booth-level workers and their eagerness showed that the BJP would win 65-plus seats in the forthcoming state Assembly polls.
“From 10 members, the party has grown to 11 crore members, becoming the world’s largest party. We have 1,800 MLAs, 330 MPs, governments in 19 states and a government at the Centre with full majority. The BJP flag is being hoisted over 70 per cent of the country’s area and the credit for it goes to the booth workers,” he said.
“Our struggle started in 1950 and today, we are fortunate to see this grand form of the party. The journey was not simple. Lakhs of our workers devoted and sacrificed their lives, as a result of which the party has reached here,” Shah said, adding that the workers of the saffron party continued to “sacrifice their lives” in Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
“As a result of a long struggle, the party has reached the pinnacle of success. But do not consider it as a success because Bengal, Kerala, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are yet to be won,” he said.
“Party workers all over the country are watching the (upcoming) Assembly elections. The victories in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh should be such that they create a tsunami, which will ensure victory from West Bengal to Kerala,” the BJP chief told the gathering.
He said BJP workers were thrashed when Ajit Jogi (formerly with the Congress and now the chief of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh) was the chief minister of the state from 2000 to 2003.
Naxalism had thrived in the state under the Congress regime, Shah said, adding that it was crushed during the 15-year rule of Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Heaping praise on Singh, the BJP chief said the chief minister had turned Chhattisgarh from a “bimaru” (backward) state to a “fast developing” state.
He said Singh now wanted to make Chhattisgarh a prosperous state over the next five years.
Shah told the booth-level workers of his party that poll victory would be achieved when they visited every house in their areas to apprise the people of the ruling BJP’s achievements.
He hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ordering surgical strikes in September, 2016 to smash terror camps operating out of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
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The BJP is on course to winning the Madhya Pradesh assembly election, whether opposition parties contest the polls separately or form an alliance, said the party’s national general secretary and former state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya.
“Can you see any coalition happening in any of the states that are going to the polls? Congress was looking for some oxygen and that is why the party was making efforts to ally with Mayawati’s BSP. However, the coalition did not happen. With or without coalition, we will win here,” said Vijayvargiya.
“In fact, if all opposition parties come together and join hands, we will win then too. We have more than 50% of the total vote share in the state. And our support base is intact,” he said.
The BJP leader said that contrary to the claims of the opposition, farmers in the state were firmly supporting his party.
Dismissing claims of farm distress and calling the farmers’ march to Delhi a politically motivated event organised by the Congress and Left groups he said all genuine farmers were still with the BJP.
“We have been travelling to villages, speaking to farmers everywhere. There has been no farm distress as it has been projected. “All farmers, the actual ones, are still with us. The people who march to Delhi are motivated by the Congress and Left groups. These marches are politically motivated events to disturb the government at the Centre which has been working really hard for the country,” he said.
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Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in Chhattisgarh’s assembly elections should pave the way for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said party president Amit Shah in Bilaspur. “The victory in Chhattisgarh should be for the sacrifices of our workers in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and other states”, SAID Amit Shah while addressing in Chhatisgarh’s Bilaspur. Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases from November 12 this year.
BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said that “illegal infiltrators” took away jobs of youths in the country, and alleged that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties had opposed the National Register of Citizens (NRC) when 40 lakh such settlers were identified under the exercise.
The BJP governments will “drive each and every infiltrator out of the country” after winning elections in 2018 and 2019, Shah said. Calling Rahul “Shaikh Chilli” (a simpleton), Shah said he should “stop daydreaming” about forming a government in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has taken root.
Shah was addressing a convention in Shivpuri, part of the erstwhile Scindia kingdom. He later took out a road show in Guna, which is represented by Congress campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Lok Sabha. The BJP chief said that besides development, the most important aspect of the Narendra Modi government was creating an atmosphere of security. He said it was common for Pakistanis to behead soldiers before the Modi government came to power. “After 12 soldiers were burnt alive, the country was angry and frustrated. Within 10 days, the PM ordered security forces to enter Pakistan boundary and carry out surgical strikes to avenge the soldiers’ death,’’ he said.
Shah said the BJP government would drive out “illegal infiltrators” as the party stands for security and rights of Indians. “When the NRC identified 40 lakh illegal migrants in Assam, Rahul baba and parties like SP, BSP and TMC raised a hue and cry and opposed the exercise,” Shah said. “These migrants took away jobs of our youths. They (opposition parties) lacked concern for our youths and the hunger of the people of this country. We will drive each infiltrator out after winning elections in 2018 and 2019.” “Rahul Baba should stop daydreaming. The Congress’s condition is that it would (soon) be difficult to find them even with the help of binoculars,” Shah said.
Recalling the contribution of party stalwart and a founder member of the BJP, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, who is the grandmother of Jyotiraditya, Shah said massive victories in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections would be a great tribute to her. He said her birth centenary would be celebrated on a grand scale.
Addressing Yuva Sammelan in Gwalior later, the BJP chief said the upcoming Assembly and LS elections would have a lasting impact. “These elections will decide if democracy and the great people of this country choose parties driven by individuals or parties that follow and ideology,” he said. MP will go to polls in November.
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