Chhattisgarh polls: BJP releases second list of 64 candidates, Raman Singh to contest again | CHECK FULL LIST
Among the prominent contenders are MPs who are stepping into the electoral arena, including Renuka Singh, Gomati Sai, and Arun Sao. Additionally, several other notable figures have been named for various constituencies, including Raman Singh, Vishnu Dev Sai, and Dharamlal Kaushik.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. The BJP has announced the names of 64 candidates including three-time former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh in the second list.
Among the prominent names are Members of Parliament (MPs) who will be entering the electoral fray:
- Renuka Singh from Bharatpur-Sonhat
- Gomati Sai from Pathalgaon
- Arun Sao from Lormi
Additionally, the BJP has announced a second list of notable contenders for Chhattisgarh, including:
- Raman Singh contesting from Rajnandgaon
- Vishnu Dev Sai from Kunkuri
- OP Choudhary fielded in Raigarh
- Ramdayal Uikey from Pali-Tanakhar
- Punnulal Mohale in Mungeli
- Dharamjeet Singh competing from Takhatpur
- Dharamlal Kaushik in the Bilha constituency
- Brijmohan Agarwal vying for the Raipur City South seat
These candidates are expected to play a crucial role in the BJP's electoral strategy for Chhattisgarh as the state gears up for Assembly elections.
List of BJP candidates for Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections:
| Serial No. | Constituency Name | Candidate Name |
| 1. | Bharatpur-Sonhat | Renuka Singh |
| 2. | Manendragarh | Shyam Bihari Jaiswal |
| 3. | Baikunthpur | Bhaiyyalal Rajwade |
| 4. | Samri (ST) | Udheshwari Paikra |
| 5. | Sitapur (ST) | Ram Kumar Toppo |
| 6. | Jashpur (ST) | Raimuni Bhagat |
| 7. | Kunkuri (ST) | Vishnu Dev Sai |
| 8. | Pathalgaon (ST) | Gomati Sai |
| 9. | Lailunga (ST) | Suniti Satyanand Rathia |
| 10 | Raigarh | OP Choudhary |
| 11. | Sarangarh (SC) | Shivkumari Chauhan |
| 12. | Rampur (ST) | Nankiram Kanwar |
| 13. | Katghora | Premchandra Patel |
| 14. | Pali-Tanakhar (ST) | Ramdayal Uikey |
| 15. | Kota | Prabal Pratap Singh Judev |
| 16. | Lormi | Arun Sao |
| 17. | Mungeli (SC) | Punnulal Mohale |
| 18. | Takhatpur | Dharamjeet Singh |
| 19. | Bilha | Dharamlal Kaushik |
| 20. | Bilaspur | Amar Agarwal |
| 21. | Masturi (SC) | Krishnamurti Bandi |
| 22. | Akaltara | Saurabh Singh |
| 23. | Janjgir-Champa | Narayan Prasad Chandel |
| 24. | Sakti | Dr Khilawan Singh |
| 25. | Chandrapur | Bahu Rani Sanyogita Singh Judev |
| 26. | Jaijaipur | Krishnakant Chandra |
| 27. | Pamgarh (SC) | Santosh Lahre |
| 28. | Basna | Sampat Agarwal |
| 29. | Mahasamund | Yogeshwar Raju Sinha |
| 30. | Bilaigarh (SC) | Dr Dineshlal Jagade |
| 31. | Baloda Bazar | Tankram Verma |
| 32. | Bhatapara | Shivratan Sharma |
| 33. | Dharsiwa | Anuj Sharma |
| 34. | Raipur Rural | Motilal Sahu |
| 35. | Raipur City West | Rajesh Munat |
| 36. | Raipur City North | Purandar Mishra |
| 37. | Raipur City South | Brijmohan Agarwal |
| 38. | Arang (SC) | Guru Khushwant Singh |
| 39. | Bindrawagarh (ST) | Govardhan Ram Manjhi |
| 40. | Kurud | Ajay Chandrakar |
| 41. | Dhamtari | Ranjana Dipendra Sahu |
| 42. | Sanjari Balod | Rakesh Yadav |
| 43. | Gunderdehi | Virendra Kumar Sahu |
| 44. | Durg Rural | Lalit Chandrakar |
| 45. | Durg City | Gajendra Yadav |
| 46. | Bhilai Nagar | Premprakash Pandey |
| 47. | Vaishali Nagar | Rikesh Sen |
| 48. | Ahiwara (SC) | Doman Lal Korsevada |
| 49. | Saja | Ishwar Sahu |
| 50. | Navagarh (SC) | Dayaldas Baghel |
| 51. | Kawardha | Vijay Sharma |
| 52. | Dongargarh (SC) | Vinod Khandekar |
| 53. | Rajnandgaon | Dr Raman Singh |
| 54. | Dongargaon | Bharat Lal Verma |
| 55. | Antagarh (ST) | Vikram Usendi |
| 56. | Bhanupratappur (ST) | Gautam Uikey |
| 57. | Keshkal (ST) | Neelkanth Tekam |
| 58. | Kondagaon (ST) | Lata Usendi |
| 59. | Narayanpur (ST) | Kedar Kashyap |
| 60. | Jagdalpur | Kiran Singh Deo |
| 61. | Chitrakot (ST) | Vinayak Goyal |
| 62. | Dantewada (ST) | Chetaram Arami |
| 63. | Bijapur (ST) | Mahesh Gagada |
| 64. | Konta (ST) | Soyam Muka |
BJP prepares for elections with an eye on the OBC vote
The BJP, which had held power in Chhattisgarh for 15 years under the leadership of Raman Singh, faced a significant defeat at the hands of the Congress in the 2018 Assembly polls. Several factors contributed to this outcome, including strong anti-incumbency sentiments, corruption allegations, a lack of coordination between the party organization and the government, and support from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the Congress.
In the 2018 elections, the BJP fielded 14 candidates from the Sahu community, a numerically dominant OBC group, but 13 of them were defeated. In a strategic move, the BJP appointed Arun Sao, a Member of Parliament from the Sahu community, as its state unit chief last year, potentially bolstering its prospects in the upcoming elections.
With 90 seats in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, the BJP has already declared candidates for 21 seats. Notably, most of these candidates are representatives of panchayat bodies, indicating a shift toward second-tier leaders in the party's electoral strategy. The BJP has also chosen to adopt a collective leadership approach for the elections, refraining from projecting any one individual as its chief ministerial candidate, a departure from the era of the three-time CM, Raman Singh.
Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2018: Congress secures victory
In the Chhattisgarh Assembly Election Results of 2018, the Congress secured a significant victory with 68 seats out of the total 90, comfortably surpassing the majority mark of 46. The BJP, on the other hand, managed to secure only 15 seats. The JCC (Janta Congress Chhattisgarh) won 5 seats, while the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) secured 2 seats. There were no independent candidates who won seats in this election.
In terms of vote share, the Congress received 43.04% of the votes, while the BJP secured 32.97%. The JCC garnered a vote share of 7.61%, and the BSP received 3.87%. Independent candidates collectively accounted for 5.88% of the vote share.