Anticipating the upcoming assembly elections, which are yet to be officially announced, the BJP took the initiative to reveal its initial list of candidates on Thursday. This list comprised five women in each state along with 21 candidates for Chhattisgarh and 39 candidates for Madhya Pradesh. Vijay Baghel is a candidate for the party’s Durg seat. He is running from Patan. Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh and a member of the Congress, currently holds office there.
During a meeting on Wednesday, the BJP’s Central Election Committee carefully selected the names.
The committee was led by J P Nadda, the party’s leader. Prominent figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and others participated in it.
In the context of Chhattisgarh, the BJP put forth nominees for various constituencies.
These nominations included Baghel for Patan, Bhulan Singh Maravi for Premnagar, Laxmi Rajwade for Bhatgaon, and other named individuals.
Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP engaged in candidate selection. This involved Sarla Vijendra Rawat for Sabalgarh, Priyanka Meena for Chachaoura, and several others.
The party’s swift release of the initial candidate list underscores its focus on the impending state elections. These elections hold particular significance as they precede the crucial Lok Sabha elections. Moreover, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram, in addition to Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, are preparing for elections this year.
Among these states, the BJP currently maintains power only in Madhya Pradesh. The party is actively working to overthrow the current Congress government in Chhattisgarh.
In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly, the BJP secured 109 seats, which was slightly less than the Congress’ 114. Moreover, regarding Chhattisgarh, the BJP’s performance was more modest, as the party secured just 15 out of 90 assembly seats in the 2018 elections.