Congress Reveals Candidates for Chhattisgarh's Final Lok Sabha Seats

Raipur, Mar 26 - The Congress party has finalized its slate of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh, completing its lineup for all 11 constituencies in the state. This announcement includes the names of four candidates for the remaining seats, among them an MLA under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and two female contenders. This move comes as the state gears up for elections to be held in three phases during April and May. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also confirmed its candidates across Chhattisgarh.

The Congress party's list includes Devender Singh Yadav for Bilaspur, Biresh Thakur for Kanker (Scheduled Tribe reserved seat), Shashi Singh for Surguja (ST), and Dr. Menka Devi Singh for Raigarh (ST). Yadav, who is serving his second term as a legislator from Bhilai Nagar in Durg district, is currently embroiled in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal levy scam, with investigations being conducted by the ED. Additionally, the state's anti-corruption bureau (ACB) registered a case against him earlier this year based on findings from the ED.

Biresh Thakur, who previously contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kanker in 2019 but was defeated by a narrow margin, is making another attempt. His late father was a Congress MLA, representing Bhanupratappur in Kanker from 1972-1977. Shashi Singh, a member of the Surajpur Zila Panchayat, comes from a political background with her father having served as a minister in Chhattisgarh's first Congress government. Dr. Menka Devi Singh, belonging to the erstwhile Sarangarh royal family, has political lineage with her father serving as chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh and her sisters having been Congress Lok Sabha MPs.

Election Schedule and Constituencies

The Lok Sabha elections in Chhattisgarh are scheduled to take place in three phases on April 19, April 26, and May 7, with the counting of votes set for June 4. The Naxal-affected Bastar constituency (ST) will go to polls on April 19 in the first phase. The second phase on April 26 will see voting in three constituencies: Kanker (ST), Rajnandgaon, and Mahasamund. The final phase on May 7 will cover seven constituencies: Surguja (ST), Raigarh (ST), Janjgir-Champa (SC), Raipur, Durg, Korba, and Bilaspur.

This election sees a significant representation of women among the Congress candidates, with three women, including a sitting MP, being fielded across the 11 constituencies. As Chhattisgarh prepares for these crucial polls, both major parties have now laid out their strategies with their candidate selections aiming to capture the electorate's support.