Congress Kickstarts Election Campaign By Finalising 106 Candidates In Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath Keeps List Secret

A senior leader within the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee has revealed that 106 potential candidates have been identified for the upcoming year-end assembly election in the state. The source requested anonymity to Hindustan Times.

Among the 106 candidates, 66 are slated to contest in constituencies that the party has not secured in the last three assembly elections. These areas are known strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The remaining 40 candidates are the incumbent Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The party also has an additional 56 incumbent lawmakers, considering the total assembly strength of 230. However, the party believes these MLAs need to demonstrate further efforts before they can be confirmed as official candidates.

It's worth noting that the party has not made any public announcements regarding these candidates.

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath stated that the individuals who have been identified are aware of their selection, and there is no requirement to publicly disclose their names.

According to a second unnamed Congress leader, the selected candidates have been instructed to commence campaigning in their respective constituencies.

This approach was adopted to mitigate disputes surrounding ticket allocation and to prevent last-minute internal conflicts. Party workers and officials have also been urged to extend their support to the chosen candidates.

The Congress party emphasizes that the candidate selection was based on a comprehensive survey of both potential candidates and constituencies, with caste considerations also factored in.

Spokesperson KK Mishra of the MP Congress Committee stated, "Through meticulous management and thoughtful caste-based selection, we are confident of securing victory in this election. The candidates who ranked highest in the survey have been notified of their finalization."

Also read: Assembly Elections 2023: Where Congress Has A Chance In Madhya Pradesh

However, the BJP has criticized this decision, alleging that the tickets have been auctioned off. Ashish Agrawal, the media in-charge of MP BJP, remarked, "Firstly, which faction of the Congress has finalized the names—Rahul Gandhi's, Digvijaya Singh's, or Kamal Nath's? It is an open secret that the Congress trades tickets. These 106 candidates might have secured their positions through the highest bids, but this won't impact the election's outcome."

The Congress secured 114 seats in the late-2018 assembly election and formed the government. However, in March 2020, 28 legislators loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia defected from the party, leading to the downfall of the Kamal Nath government and the BJP's return to power after a mere 15 months.

Subsequently, the BJP triumphed in 19 out of 28 assembly seats during the by-polls in November 2020. Except for those 15 months, the BJP has maintained control over the state since 2003.