The Bharatiya Janata Party announced names of another 57 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly election, on Monday, including the name of the chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, from his Budhni seat. This puts to rest all speculations about whether Chouhan would be contesting the election or not.
The BJP list came just a few hours after the Election Commission (EC) announced the dates for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Telangana.
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Amid conjectures about Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s contesting the assembly polls, Congress Madhya Pradesh in charge Randeep Surjewala had commented that Shivraj Singh Chouhan is tired and retired.
Chouhan, meanwhile, said after the announcement of the poll dates that elections are the festival of democracy. The MP CM appealed to all voters to participate in the election, and he also asked all political parties to ensure that the elections are contested peacefully.
Chouhan questioned why the Congress is delaying so much in naming its candidates. He alleged there is severe infighting in the Congress. Chouhan asserted the BJP is totally ready and prepared for the polls.
The chief of MP Congress, Kamal Nath, said the date for which the people of Madhya Pradesh have been waiting has been announced. Targeting the BJP, the former MP CM averred that 17 November would be the day the rule of truth would be restored, and the people of MP would teach a lesson to those who “hijack” democracy.
The BJP has so far announced names of 136 candidates out of the 230 assembly seats in MP.
The main opposition Congress, however, has kept its cards hidden. The grand old party has not yet announced any name for the election.
The crucial assembly polls in MP and four other states are the last of the assembly polls in the country before the 2024 general elections.
These assembly polls are being considered as the “semi-final” before the Lok Sabha poll “final”.
