Three names running for Cong candidature from Shahdol

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress might soon announce the names of candidates for Shahdol Lok Sabha and Nepanagar assembly seat bye-polls. Party leadership will meet on Wednesday to send a probable candidates list for the bye-elections scheduled for November 19. "With just one month left for the polls, we hope to make an announcement by end of the week," said state Congress organisational general secretary Chandrika Prasad Dwivedi.Sources in the party said there are three names running for candidature from Shahdol including party's MLA from Pushrajgarh assembly seat Phundelal Singh Marco, former legislator Bisahulal Singh and Himadri Singh, daughter of deceased former Congress MPs Daljit Singh and Rajesh Nandini Singh.
In the 2014 elections, Rajesh Nandini Singh lost to BJP's Dalpat Singh Paraste by a margin of 2.41 lakh votes. Shahdol tribal reserved Lok sabha seat elected the BJP five times and the Congress twice since 1991. Out of the eight assembly seats in the constituency, the Congress has its MLAs in just two which the BJP won six seats in 2013. Congress is depending hugely on the anti-incumbency factor against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan BJP government. "The common man is annoyed and feeling cheated with the BJP government. Tribals have not seen much progress in their lives in the past 13 years of BJP rule. There are a lot of issues regarding their 'patta' and basic facilities.
Farmers are aggrieved throughout the state. So Congress has a lead," Chandrika Prasad Dwivedi said. In Nepanagar, the Congress has to choose between a district panchayat office-bearer Antar Singh and Ramkrsihna Patel, who was the party's candidate for the last assembly elections against Rajendra Dadu of the BJP. Patel lost by a margin of 44,948 votes. Shahdol has been vacated after the demise of BJP MP Dalpat Singh parasite and Nepanagar after the death of BJP legislator Rajendra Dadu in a road accident in June.