First phase of Chhattisgarh polls have 63 nominations so far

Bastar, Oct 24: 18 Naxal-affected constituencies in Chhattisgarh will go on polls on November 11. So, far 63 nominations have been filed. The ministers who filed their nomination for the first time in the Legislative Assembly elections include the tribal welfare minister Kedar Kashyap, Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma and Sports Minister Lata Usendi.

Chief Electoral officer Sunil Kujur said that 42 nominations were filed for 16 constituencies in Bastar division and Rajnandgaon district. Prominent names of BJP leaders could also be spotted filing the papers.

Among them were Kedar Kashyap (Narayanpur), Lata Usendi (Kondagaon) and sitting MLAs Santosh Bafna (Jagdalpur), Baiduram Kashyap (Chitrakot) and Sewakram Netam (Keshkal). Congress submitted nominations for Alka Mudliyar (Rajnandgaon) and sitting MLAs Kawasi Lakhma (Konta) and Bholaram Sahu (Khujji).

Some of the other Congress MLA filing nominations include Girvar Janghel (Khairagarh), Thaneshwar Patila (Dongarhgarh), Lakheshwar Baghel (Bastar) and Vikram Mandavi (Bijapur).

In the year 2008, Kedar Kashyap had won from Narayanpur against Congress's Rajnuram Netam by a margin of 21,635 votes. However, this time the main oposition has introduced a local leader-Chandan Kashyap-from the seat.

Lata Usendi had defeated Congressman Mohan Markam from Kondagon by 2,771 votes last time. Congress has again given ticket to Markam from the seat.

Alka Mudliyar, the widowed-wife of former MLA Uday Mudliyar killed in Bastar Maxal attack in May, is the Congress nominee from Rajnandgaon. The constituency is presently represented by Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Last time, Singh had defeated Uday Mudliyar by a margin of 32,389 votes.

Sitting Congress MLA from Bastar, Kawasi Lakhma, has been re-nominated from Konta.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Satish Lathiya, also BJP's nominee from Bhanupratappur, filed his nomination papers today.

Among those filing nominations in the CPI were veteran leader Manish Kunjam (Konta) and fellow party leaders Madnaiya Alwa (Bijapur), Sheikh Naseem Kureshi (Jagdalpur), Sonadhar Nag (Chitrakot), Balsingh Nag (Keshkal), Amalsai Sodhi (Kondagaon), Devchand Bhaskar (Kanker).

BSP candidates included Arvind Kumar (Rajnandgaon), Paras Janghel (Khairagarh), Rajaram Komra (Antagarh), Komalsingh Korram (Bhanupratappur), Khagesh Thakur (Mohla-Manpur), Meera Markam (Kanker), Sonsai Netam (Keshkal), Ramkumar Markam (Kndagaon), Hemant Poyam (Chitrakot) too filed the nominations.

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