Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan To Face 'Hanuman' Actor In Polls As Congress Pits Him In CM's Constituency

The Congress party has revealed its initial roster of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.

In a strategic move, popular actor Vikram Mastal, renowned for his portrayal of Hanuman in the 2008 television series Ramayana, has been nominated to contest against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the Budhni constituency.

Former chief minister Kamal Nath, concurrently the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, will contest from his Chhindwara assembly seat.

Jaivardhan Singh, son of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and a minister in the previous Kamal Nath administration has been nominated for the Raghigath seat.

Vijay Laxmi Sadho, a former Rajya Sabha member and state minister, will vie for the Maheshwar-SC assembly seat, while former cabinet minister Jitu Patwari has been designated as the candidate for the Rau assembly constituency.

The candidate list spans 47 individuals from the general category, 39 from the OBC category, 30 from the ST category, 22 from the SC category, one Muslim candidate, and 19 women.

Notably, 65 of the candidates are under the age of 50.

As the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh approach on 17 November, involving 230 constituencies, the Congress faces a strategic challenge against the BJP, which has already disclosed candidates for over half of the assembly seats.

In the broader regional context, the Congress has also named candidates for the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, incorporating notable former BJP members and emphasising their diversified approach in candidate selection.

The electoral contestations across these states will culminate with results announced on 3 December, following a single-phase voting process.