Congress banking on old, new faces to reclaim power in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The Congress is banking on a combination of new faces and old-timers in ticket distribution to end its 15-year wait to rule Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls next month.

The opposition party late Saturday evening put out a list of candidates its third for 37 assembly seats going to polls in the second and last phase of voting on November 20. It has renominated 15 sitting MLAS and fielded 11 candidates, who had lost in 2013, besides giving tickets to 11 fresh faces.

No sitting MLA was denied ticket in the third list. However, only three women figure in it.

A Congress leader said the party is ensuring that representation is given to all sections of society.

“It is a completely balanced list wherein the party has given representation to leaders belonging to all sections of society,” head of the state Congress communication wing Shailesh Nitin Trivedi claimed.

“The selection of candidates have been done on the basis of party's survey and performances of leaders,” he said, adding it is a “well-planned strategy” to win the upcoming election.

The two lists released earlier contained 18 names.

With this, the opposition party has so far announced 55 candidates in the Bjp-ruled state, which has a 90-member House. State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel (Patan seat), Congress Legislative Party leader T S Singhdeo (Ambikapur), senior Congress leader Satyanarayan Sharma (Raipur Rural) and prominent tribal leader Amarjeet Bhagat (Sitapur) were among the sitting MLAS who were given tickets.