 "Chhattisgarh elections Raipur- voters stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their votes for the 2nd phase of assembly elections. Photo: PTI")
Ahead of the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, two Congress legislators are switching to other parties after being denied tickets for their seats in Surguja region.
Vijay Jaiswal, who represents the Manendragarh constituency, has announced his intention to join the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), which is in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The other Congress politician, Chintamani Maharaj, a two-time MLA from Samri (ST) constituency, is likely to return to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after more than 11 years.
The Congress has fielded Ramesh Singh on the Manendragarh seat for the upcoming Assembly elections. Jaiswal, a first-time MLA, said that he will contest the same seat as a GGP candidate. Maharaj, a parliamentary secretary in the Bhupesh Baghel government, is planning to return to the BJP, a party he left 11 years ago to join the Congress.
Senior BJP leaders Vishnudeo Sai and Brijmohan Agrawal went to meet Maharaj at his ashram. According to reports, Maharaj has put forth a precondition that he will contest the Ambikapur seat where the Congress has fielded deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo. Ramanujganj MLA Brihaspat Singh, who has been denied the ticket this time, has accused Singh Deo of "playing into the hands of the BJP by denying tickets to party legislators in north Chhattisgarh".
The Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in Chhattisgarh. The polling for the 90-member Assembly is scheduled in two phases on November 7 and 17.
