Bhopal: BJP has banked on new faces to challenge Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul in Chhindwara assembly constituency and Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat respectively.
Mr Nath has vacated Chhindwara LS seat, he has represented eight times, for his son, who has been given Congress ticket, in the upcoming polls. Mr Nath, who is heading the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, is contesting from Chhindwara Assembly constituency, to enter the state Assembly. Byelection will be held on May 19 along with LS polls.
The BJP on Saturday declared its third list of candidates for 3 LS seats and one Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
While BJP fielded Vivek Sahu, a youth leader, in Chhindwara Assembly seat to take on the chief minister, the party pitted Nathan Singh Sai, a tribal leader, against Nakul in Chhindwara LS constituency. Both the BJP candidates are new faces.
“For the first time in MP, the BJP has fielded a tribal in a general seat in Chhindwara LS constituency. The party has decided to nominate a tribal in the seat since tribals constitute 37 percent of total electorates of Chhindwara LS seat,” BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal said.
In Gwalior LS seat, BJP has fielded sitting mayor of local municipal corporation Vivek Shejbalkar. Congress was yet to declare its candidate for Gwalior seat.
AICC general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia was lobbying hard with the party leadership for ticket for his wife Priyadarshini for Gwalior, considered pocket borrow of Scindia family.
In Dewas, BJP has nominated ex-judge Mahendra Solanki, who belongs to Malavya Balai community, a majority community in the constituency.
He will take on Pralhad Tipania of Congress in the upcoming LS polls in the constituency. With this, BJP has declared candidates in 22 out of total 29 LS seats in MP.
Congress too has announced its candidates for 22 out of 29 seats.
