Cong's Chhattisgarh list likely in Sept, may bench bastar MLAs
Congress is likely to finalise a majority of candidates for the forthcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections in September and may drop sitting MLAs in Naxal-infested Bastar division.
With BJP announcing its first list of 21 candidates, the Congress has got down to brass tacks. The party has initiated constituency-level surveys to gauge anti-incumbency against its sitting MLAs. Congress had won 68 of 90 Assembly segments in 2018 elections.
It later won by-elections taking the total numbers in Chhattisgarh Assembly to 71. BJP's tally had fallen from 49 seats to 15. Ajit Jogi's fledgling party Janta Congress Chhattisgarh had won 5 seats.
The Congress is likely to announce a majority of the candidates in September.
According to internal surveys, the party is facing the biggest challenge in Naxal-infested Bastar division, which comprises seven districts, viz. Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma. In the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress had won 11 of the 12 constituencies in Bastar division, losing only Dantewada reserved seat to BJP.
Later, Congress won even Dantewada seat in a by-election, which was necessitated by the killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi. Now, eight of the 12 Congress MLAs in the division are two-term MLAs. A senior Congress leader told ET, «If we look at it simply — Congress has 71 points of anti-incumbency.
The party has reached saturation point in Bastar. MLAs, who have held a seat twice, are facing obvious anti-incumbency. The party will take a call on multiple-term MLAs.»
The polls will not be cakewalk for any party.
