Congress fields Jogi's wife for Kota by poll

Raipur, Nov 17 (UNI) Opposition Congress has fielded Ms Renu Jogi, wife of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, for the by- election to the Kota assembly seat in the state.

Accompanied by Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) President Charan Das Mahant and several party legislators, Ms Jogi filed her nomination papers before the returning officer at Bilaspur today for the by-election scheduled for December four.

Ms Jogi, who was a lecturer in Ophthalmology at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College in the state capital, had quit her government job after Mr Jogi sustained serious injuries in a road accident during the Lok Sabha elections nearly two-and-half years ago.

Earlier, speculation was rife that the Congress might field Mr Sunil Shukla, son of Congress veteran and former speaker Rajendra Prasad Shukla, whose death had necessitated the by-election in Kota assembly constituency in Bilaspur district.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has fielded Mr Bhupendra Singh Thakur, who had unsuccessfully contested from the same constituency during the December 2003 assembly elections.

Mr Thakur also filed his nomination papers today at Bilaspur.

Ministers in the Raman Singh Government and a large number of party workers were present on the occasion.

This rural constituency is expected to witness high-pitch electioneering. The ruling BJP is gearing up to mobilise its party workers to wrest the seat, which has been a traditional stronghold of the Congress.

The Congress had retained the Kota seat in all the elections held since 1952 in undivided Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh's maiden assembly elections held in December 2003, veteran Congress leader Rajendra Prasad Shukla had retained the seat for his party.

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