Some protest on ticket distribution reported but BJP denies saying party working on mission 65

New Delhi, Oct 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing protest from the party workers in Chhatisgarh after it declared names of 78 candidates for the Assembly elections. Resentments were witnessed in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, Durg and Sarguja regions. BJP workers from these areas are protesting against the ticket distribution while the BJP has brushed aside any resentment saying that it is working on mission 65 in the state.

As the party had planned to deny ticket to such people whose winability was not assured so some people have been denied ticket including minister in Raman Singh government Ramshila Sahu who is an MLA from Durd (rural) constituency> He was replaced by Jageshwar Sahu similarly from Patan constituency Moti Ram Sahu has been fielded by the BJP but workers are demanding Vijay Baghel to be made candidate from there again. Fielding Harshita Pandey from Takhatpur constituency is also being protested where ticket to Raju Singh Kshatri was denied who wanted to field his wife. Korba also has the same environment where party reposed its its faith in Vikas Mahto but local party leaders are keeping distance from him.

But state BJP president Dharam Lal Kaushik said that there is enthusiasm in the party workers after the central leadership announced the name of 78 candidate. Everyone is working for the mission 65 in the state. "As always, our candidate is out party's symbol lotus, let whatever name comes. It is the hard work of the party workers that the BJP is in the government for the past 15 years in the state and there is a government at the Centre. There is no resentment anywhere in the party.

Kaushik said that the BJP is a worker-based party and everyone in the party has the right to put across his/her view on the right forum and disagreement is welcomed in the BJP. All the BJP workers are unitedly working for the victory of the party. In the 78 declared names of BJP candidates, there are 14 women, one former IAS, 53 farmers and four. Out of these 78 candidates 24 candidates are less than 40 years of age. Meanwhile former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi called the BJP candidates as stale and rotten.