India's ruling Congress, which is out of power in the mineral-rich Chhattisgarh since December 2003, has finally announced the first list of candidates on Friday.
The list has created some panic in BJP's camp as Congress picked up "potential and genuine" leaders for the first list of 17 candidates. Chhattisgarh goes to Assembly polls in two phases — November 11 and November 19 -- to elect 90 members of State legislative Assembly.
The BJP is expected to announce its list of candidates on October 18 for seats going to polls in the first phase. In the first phase, polls to be held for 18 seats covering Rajnandgaon district besides entire Bastar region, which comprises seven districts. The Bastar region has 12 seats where the BJP had won 11 seats in last polls. Rajnandgaon has six seats and the BJP had bagged four seats in the last election.
Sources said that the Congress has shown some serious guts by ignoring sycophants and ticket claimants who lack public support. The party has largely preferred this time to grass-root workers having mass touch with public in their respective areas. The Congress has chosen to field close relatives of senior leaders who were martyred in a deadly attack by Maoists on May 25 in Bastar region.
Alka Mudliar, wife of former Rajnandgaon legislator Uday Mudliar, has been chosen by the Congress to take on Chief Minister Raman Singh on Rajnandgaon seat. Though the BJP has not announced its candidate yet for Rajnandgaon but declaration of Raman Singh's name is just a formality. Umesh Patel, son of State Congress chief Nandkumar Patel who was among the 30 people killed in the Maoist attack, has also figured in the list. Patel will contest from Kharasia seat in Raigarh district which was a stronghold of late Patel since undivided Madhya Pradesh period.
Devti Karma, wife of late Mahendra Karma who was known as Bastar Tiger for his daring efforts to challenge Maoists in Bastar region, will contest from Dantewada seat. Congress sources informed that at least 12 names found in the first list of 17 candidates, belong to Ajit Jogi's camp, which is surprising as Jogi was reportedly not in good terms with Gandhi family in recent months.