Chhattisgarh may be Raman Singh vs Motilal Vora: Congress

Bhopal: Campaign committee chairman of Chhattisgarh unit of Congress Charan Das Mahant has stirred the hornet’s nest by indicating that his party may pit AICC general secretary (administration) Motilal Vora against chief minister Raman Singh in the year-end assembly elections in the state.

Mr Mahant, one of the aspirants for chief minister’s post in his party, told the media at Shakti in Janjgir-Champa that Mr Vora may be asked to fight against the chief minister in Rajnandgaon assembly constituency in Chhattis-garh as part of the Cong-ress’ strategy to field all the senior party leaders in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

However, Mr Mahant said the chairman of the OBC cell of AICC and MP Tamradhwaj Sahu was also being considered as a party candidate against the chief minister if Mr Vora declined to enter into the fray. Mr Vora is a Rajya Sabha member.

A section of Congress has taken strong exception to Mr Mahant’s statement declaring candidature of Mr Vora in Rajnandgaon assembly seat without sanction from the AICC.

“Mr Mahant is not the authority to declare party candidates. I wonder what has provoked him to make the statement”, a senior Congress leader told this newspaper on Sunday.

Ruling BJP has also taken a jibe at Mr Mahant for ‘asking Mr Vora to be ready to fight against the chief minister’.

“First of all, Mr Mahant has no authority to declare candidates in Congress”, a spokesman of BJP said.

He added, “I feel it is a trap being laid for Mr Vora by his detractors in Congress to bury him into political oblivion after the year-end assembly elections.”