Congress which had managed to win just one lok Sabha seat in Chhattisgarh in 2009, announced nine candidates on Saturday for the mineral-rich State which has total 11 seats.
The Congress list has surprised many as the names comprised Karuna Shukla, niece of BJP veteran and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Shukla has recently embraced Congress after sidelined by the BJP in which she spent 32 years of her prime political career. Shukla will contest from Bilaspur. Congress has decided to go in with Deepak Karma from Bastar seat which the party has not won since 1998 polls. Karma is son of late Mahendra Karma, who was killed last year in May by Maoists in a deadly attack on Congress convoy in Bastar.
Union Minister of State Charandas Mahant who had in 2009 polls defeated Karuna Shukla, who was the BJP nominee in last polls from Korba, will seek consecutive victory from the seat. The Congress which hopes for an improved show in 2014 polls in Chhattisgarh has decided to field Chhaya Verma to stop the winning streak of the BJP from Raipur seat. The party has announced to field Tamradhwaj Sahu from Durg while largely unknown personalities Maneka Singh and Premchand Jaisi have found berth in Congress list from Raigarh and Janjgir-Champa seats respectively.
Sources said that Congress held up its candidates’ announcement from Mahas-amund and Kanker seats. Chhattisgarh’s former CM Ajit Jogi is said to be keen to contest either from Kanker or from Mahasamund and the party high command needs time crack a solution to Jogi’s proposal. Chhattisgarh goes to polls in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24.