Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said the Congress' biggest challenge in the upcoming Assembly elections is not BJP but to fight the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax (IT) Department.
In an interview with news agency PTI, he emphasized that the BJP does not present a challenge to the incumbent Congress and that there is no significant anti-incumbency sentiment against his government. The Chief Minister also highlighted that his administration has been focused on the well-being of all segments of the population.
ED and the I-T Department trying to create a fear psychosis
"The ED and the I-T Department are powerful wings of the BJP and they are trying to create a fear psychosis ahead of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, but they would not succeed in their endeavours," Baghel told PTI, referring to recent raids by these central agencies against some of his close aides.
"There is no challenge to the Congress party posed by the BJP in Chhattisgarh, but our biggest challenge is fighting the ED and the I-T Department which are acting in an undemocratic manner in the state ahead of assembly polls," he claimed.
It is pertinent to mention that ED on August 23 conducted searches at the premises of Baghel's political advisor Vinod Verma and an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Raipur.
Some weak MLAs to might not be nominated
Baghel mentioned that the party has been conducting surveys to assess the performance of MLAs, implying that certain legislators might not be nominated again in the forthcoming elections. Notably, the Congress is likely to release the first list of candidates for the Chattisgarh Assembly elections in the first week of September.
Party office-bearers will be consulted before finalising candidates, he said, adding winnability will be the sole criteria for candidate selection. "It is possible that in some seats, where our candidates are weak, we could change our sitting candidates. They could be given other responsibilities. That is the party's policy," he said.
With the BJP having already declared 21 candidates, Baghel said the Congress will assess who among its leaders are best suited to take on them. "We will see who is the better candidate. It is possible that some candidates would be changed, there are 71 sitting MLAs (of Congress), it is natural that some of them are weak," he said, without sharing details.
Central leadership to decide on CM candidate
He also asserted that there are no internal conflicts within the Chhattisgarh state unit of the party, adding that the decision regarding the chief ministerial candidate will be made by the party's central leadership, and all members will respect and follow that decision. "Deciding the chief minister is the prerogative of the Congress high command and everyone will abide by its decision," he said.
"I have perfect relations with (deputy chief minister) T S Singh Deo and others. We had good ties earlier and even now," he noted.
The elections to the 90-member assembly in Chhattisgarh are slated for later this year. The legislative assembly of Chhattisgarh will end on January 3. In 2018, the Congress secured a massive victory by winning 68 seats out of 90 in the state while the BJP secured 16.
Also Read: Chhattisgarh elections: Congress likely to release list of candidates in first week of September, say sources
Also Read: ED raids Chhattisgarh CM advisor's premises, Bhupesh Baghel reacts | VIDEO
(With PTI inputs)
