Sahu may be new poll face for Cong

RAIPUR: The Congress may project as the face of its Chhattisgarh campaign the party’s lone Lok Sabha member from the state, Tamradhwaj Sahu, who has been asked to contest the upcoming assembly polls in a bid to overcome infighting between state party chief Buphesh Baghel and state in-charge PL Punia, according to senior party leaders familiar with the development.

The leaders added that the tide turned against Baghel and Punia after a CD controversy last month where a third leader can be purportedly heard bargaining for seats with Baghel. Congress has dismissed the controversy and denied any reports of infighting.

“Sahu is being slowly projected as campaign face of the party and that is why he was asked to contest from Durg (Rural) assembly constituency,” said one senior party leader who asked not to be named, adding that the decision was taken after the infighting between Baghel and Punia was out in the open.

The Congress central leadership on October 12 formed a core committee, of which Sahu is a part along with four other state leaders, to manage the elections. The 69-year-old MP from Durg is a strong Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader and a member of the influential Sahu community.

Polls to the 90-member state assembly are due on November 12 and 20 in which the Congress is seeking to end the 15-year tenure of the BJP. The results will be announced on December 11, along with the outcome of the polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana.

Sahu’s emergence as the face of the party can also be gauged from two facts, a second leader pointed out. One, his candidature was declared, replacing Pratima Chandrakar, from Durg (Rural) in the third list released by the party on October 27. Two, his face has started appearing in campaign material across the state over the last month, along with that of the leader of opposition in the Chhattisgarh assembly TS Singh Deo, former Union minister of state for agriculture Charan Das Mahant and senior tribal leader Arvind Netam.

When asked about his candidature, Sahu said he is only abiding by the party’s decision. “I am a disciplined soldier of the party and follow the directions, as I did when I was told to contest assembly poll,” he said.

The Sahu community comprises mostly farmers and small businessmen and constitutes about 16% of Chhattisgarh’s population. In at least 18 of the 90 assembly constituencies, they are about 40% of the electorate.

Getting Sahu votes is crucial for the Congress in the state where the vote share difference the party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was less than one percentage point (0.75%) in the 2013 assembly elections. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribes constitute about 42% of the voting population.

“By elevating the Sahu leader to the CWC, we are giving a signal, that he could be the next chief minister,” said the second Congress leader.

“After schedule tribes, the Sahu community is the only community which votes en masse... But this time they will vote for the Congress,” said Sandeep Sahu, an office bearer of Congress OBC cell.

The BJP, too, has doubled the number of tickets (14) to leaders from Sahu community as compared to 2013 elections.

BJP spokesperson Sacchinand Upasane said the Congress will not win the elections in spite of playing the caste card.