 "Congress to announce candidates for MP polls after Pitru Paksha: Kamal Nath")
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and state Congress chief Kamal Nath announced on Tuesday that his party will unveil its list of candidates for the Assembly elections in the state after the Pitru Paksha period.
Pitru Paksha, the time during which Hindus pay homage to their ancestors, commenced on September 29 and will conclude on October 14 this year.
"The Congress's list will be released after 'Shraadh' [another term for Pitru Paksha]," Nath was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
On the other hand, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections. With this list, which includes 57 names, the saffron party has thus far declared candidates for 136 seats for polls to the 230-member House.
Elections are scheduled to be held in Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 23, and Telangana on November 30.
The forthcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are critical for both the BJP and the Congress. While the BJP aims to retain power in the state, the Congress is striving to make a comeback.
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The Congress was the principal Opposition party in Madhya Pradesh for much of the past three decades. However, it made a resurgence in the 2018 Assembly elections, securing 114 seats. The BJP won 109 seats in those elections.
In March 2020, the BJP regained power in Madhya Pradesh after the collapse of the Congress government. Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of the state for the fourth time.
A win for the BJP in the upcoming polls would further consolidate its standing as the dominant political force in Madhya Pradesh. Conversely, a victory for the Congress would signify a major setback for the BJP and could also impact the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.