Assembly polls: Shivraj & Raman in BJP’s third lists for MP, Chhattisgarh

NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh were named as BJP candidates as the party released its third list for the two states on Monday. The first list for Rajasthan featured seven sitting MPs, including former Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari and Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena, the most prominent face from the community in the state.
Chouhan has been fielded from his traditional Budhni assembly segment and Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon while Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra will contest from Datia.
The BJP’s central election committee, comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J P Nadda, home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders, had approved the names of candidates at its meeting on October 1.

Continuing with its plan of fielding MPs in the assembly polls as it has done in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the party nominated seven MPs in the list of 41 candidates for Rajasthan. Diya Kumari’s candidature from Vidyadhar Nagar in Jaipur ends the hegemony of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s family over the seat. The former vice-president’s son-in-law Narpat Singh Rajvi had won the seat multiple times, including in 2018, and there was speculation that his son Abhimanyu will replace him.
However, by nominating Diya Kumari, the party leadership has sent a strong message against nepotism and the trend of succession in politics. Rathore’s candidature from Jhotwara in Jaipur is also an interesting move as he is likely to face Congress’s Lal Chand Kataria, the sitting MLA and a minister.
Meena, who quit the party in 2013 but returned ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, has been nominated from Sawai Madhopur, a constituency dominated by Gujjar-Meena voters. His presence is set to impact the caste equations in eastern Rajasthan, the region where the BJP had suffered major losses, a key factor in the party’s loss in 2018.
BJP’s Rajasthan list saw several loyalists of former CM Vasundhara Raje being denied tickets and many of her detractors making the cut, an indication of the changing equations in the party. Among the loyalists denied tickets are Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Narpat Singh Rajvi and Rohitaswa Sharma.
Other Lok Sabha MPs fielded include Balaknath (Alwar) from Tijara, Bhagirath Chaudhary (Ajmer) from Kishangarh, Narendra Kumar (Jhunjhunu) from Mandawa and Devji Patel (Sirohi-Jalore) from Sanchaur. Late Gurjar leader Kirodi Singh Bainsla’s son Vijay Bainsla (Deoli-Uniara) and retired IAS officer Chandramohan Meena (Bassi, Jaipur) have also been given tickets. The list of 41 for Rajasthan included candidates for Jaipur, Shekhawati and the eastern region.
In Chhattisgarh, Raman Singh and state unit president Arun Sao, also a LS MP, have been named in the list of 64 nominees. Three MPs, including Renuka Singh and Gomati Sai, figured in the list.