AAP releases third list of candidates for Chhattisgarh Assembly polls

New Delhi [India]: The Aam Aadmi Party has announced its third list of candidates for the Chhattisgarh Assembly Election on Thursday.

Among the 11 candidates, the party has fielded Dr Akash Jashwal from the Baikunthpur Assembly, Chandrakant Diksena from Katghora Assembly, Manbhajan Tandon from Lormi, Deepak Patre from Mungeli, Durgalal Kewat (Nishad) from Jaijaipur, Lekh Ram Saahu from Kasdol, Jashwant Sinha from Gunderdehi, Sanjeet Vishwakarma from Durg Gramin, Chameli Kurrey from Pandariya, Jagmohan Baghel from Bastar, and Narendra Bhawani from Jagdalpur Assembly seat.

Deciding to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh “with full strength”, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said that the opposition parties INDIA bloc has been formed to save democracy, but it doesn’t mean that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel gets the liberty to have a mining scam in the Congress-ruled state.

The AAP and Congress are part of the opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, but both parties have not cleared their stance about a pre-poll alliance in the poll-bound states including Chhattisgarh.

Earlier on Monday, hours after the dates for the year-end Assembly elections in five states were announced, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that his party will fight with ‘full strength’ in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

When asked whether his party will contest the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, he said that “whatever happens will be apprised”.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced that the first phase of polling for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 7, and the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will go to polls on November 17.

Polls will 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 counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all the states.

Of the five states, polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates.

The elections to five states are crucial as they are being held months before the Lok Sabha elections in April-May next year.