 "Bhupesh Baghel, Chief minister of Chhattisgarh")
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said "parivarwad" (dynasty politics) was visible in the list of 21 candidates released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming Assembly elections, citing the name of Vikrant Singh, the nephew of BJP leader Raman Singh.
Baghel said "All our (Congress) meetings are known to the public. But when did they (BJP) take meetings… nobody knows, not even the media. At least, we have a democratic process and those aspiring (to become MLA) can apply. Now, we want to see since Vikrant Singh got a ticket, will Raman Singh and (his son) Abhishek Singh get tickets? Is 'parivarwad' (dynasty politics) only for others or applies to them too?"
Reacting to the CM's comments, Vikrant said that he has been an elected representative for the last 19 years.
"I have won all the elections below the level of MLA. I have won four elections of nagar panchayat adhyaksha (chairman), nagar palika adhyaksha, jan pat adhyaksa, and zila panchayat upadhyaksha (vice-chairperson). The BJP gives tickets to those who rise from the ground, unlike Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, which is 'parivarwad'."
Vikrant's mother is Raman Singh's sister. Vikrant will be the BJP candidate from Khairagarh, a seat won by Congress's Yashoda Verma against Komal Janghel (BJP) in the by-elections by a margin of 20,176 votes.
Regarding the Congress' candidate list, Baghel said that applications will be accepted from August 17 to 22, followed by district and state-level meetings to finalise the lists.
Vijay Baghel, BJP candidate for the Patan Assembly constituency, said, "We have a history of rivalry, and people have consistently supported me. Today, my party's top leaders have selected a candidate, which holds significance for me. Contesting against the Chief Minister who, in my opinion, has adversely affected Chhattisgarh, will be an interesting experience."
