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Chhattisgarh election 2023: Anti-incumbency sword scalps only the less affluent in Congress, BJP

Of the 18 sitting MLAs who have been dropped, most come from the SC/ST communities and have held no position of power, and have not been involved in any scam.

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Bhupesh Baghel

By Neeraj Mishra

The main parties in Chhattisgarh, the BJP and the Congress, have announced their list of candidates in batches for the 2023 Assembly elections. There is nothing surprising in either list, in fact, there is a lot in common.

The 2023 elections will witness almost a similar match up as in 2018. The Congress has repeated more than 50 of its 70 MLAs while the BJP has repeated 11 of its 13 and given tickets to another 15 who had lost five years ago.

So the BJP is taking the field with 49 old faces while the Congress is seeking to return to power with 55 in an Assembly of 90 MLAs. What is, however, common to both sides is those repeated are all ministers, ex-ministers and generally the affluent lot. Those with less money in their bank accounts and fewer properties have been ignored. It’s a battle of the corrupt and the corruptible.

It was expected that Congress will not repeat at least 20 of its 70 sitting MLAs as a political stratagem to combat the anti-incumbency factor. It has done so but in a brilliant brainwave, its leadership is convinced that only the poorer of its MLAs have an anti-incumbency factor working against them! So it has repeated all its 13 ministers, the Speaker and even those MLAs who are under Enforcement Directorate scanner for corruption. Some of the ministers like Shiv Deharia, Jaisingh Agarwal and Ravindra Choubey are unpopular in their constituencies over allegations of having reaped riches in office.

Those who have been left out to dry include one former minister Premsai Singh and three others whose candidature was not acceptable to Deputy CM TS Singhdeo. Of these, Brihaspati Singh, an ST MLA, had levelled serious charges of  attempt to murder against Singhdeo. Of the 18 sitting MLAs who have been dropped, most come from the SC/ST communities and have held no position of power, and have not been involved in any scam. Only one MLA facing the ED heat Chandra Dev Rai has been denied the Congress ticket. The clear message is that affluent politicians can either buy their way through or cannot be denied because they have built a strong network of other gratified fellows.

Strangely enough, this syndrome affects the BJP more than the Congress. Brijmohan Agarwal, who is contesting his 10th election from the same seat in Raipur, had been extremely unpopular within the BJP for his proximity to Baghel. He had been currying favours with Baghel and has remained ensconced in his old ministerial bungalow for the past five years much to the chagrin of the BJP state leadership. But Agarwal comes from an affluent background and cannot be denied.

So does another BJP moneybag from Bilaspur, former excise minister Amar Agarwal, who lost in 2018. He is the son of former BJP heavyweight late Lakhiram Agarwal and runs a vast empire of gutka and gudakhu. So does Rajesh Mudat who has been repeated despite his defeat in 2018 from Raipur. He comes from the affluent Jain community and is capable of spending for at least two constituencies. 

While the BJP has attempted to dust off allegations of nepotism and parivarwad by denying tickets to progeny, the Congress has not held back. Amitesh Shukla, the son of former chief minister Shyama Charan Shukla, will be contesting his sixth straight election from Rajim and Arun Vora, the son of another former CM Motilal Vora will be contesting his fourth. Pankaj Sharma, the son of former minister Satyanarain Sharma, has been given the ticket but only after his father decided to step aside for him.

Another interesting aside is that more than 125 of the 180 candidates from both parties reside in Raipur and only travel to their constituency during elections. So much for people’s representation.

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Blasts outside defence establishments in Punjab within 2 hours trigger security alarm

Two explosions near defence-linked locations in Punjab within two hours have triggered alarm and heightened security across the state.

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Two explosion incidents reported within a span of around two hours near key defence-linked locations in Punjab have raised serious security concerns and triggered political reactions.

The first incident took place near the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Jalandhar, where a blast involving a delivery scooter was reported in a populated area. The proximity of the explosion to a sensitive security installation immediately drew the attention of authorities.

Shortly after, another blast was reported near a military-linked area in Amritsar, further heightening concerns over security preparedness in the border state. Police and security agencies responded swiftly, deploying bomb disposal squads and forensic teams at both locations.

Officials confirmed that no casualties were reported in either incident. However, the back-to-back nature of the explosions caused panic in nearby areas and prompted authorities to place the state on high alert.

Political leaders reacted strongly, questioning the handling of security and pointing to possible lapses. They urged authorities to take preventive steps to avoid such incidents in the future.

Punjab, being a strategically important border state, remains sensitive to such developments. Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the explosions and whether there are any links between the two incidents.

Security has been tightened around key installations, with agencies assessing whether the blasts were isolated events or part of a broader threat.

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Retired bureaucrats appointed by Mamata Banerjee barred from Bengal offices ahead of BJP government formation

Retired bureaucrats appointed under Mamata Banerjee have been barred from government offices as West Bengal prepares for a BJP-led administration.

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In a significant administrative development following the West Bengal Assembly election results, several retired bureaucrats appointed during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee have reportedly been barred from entering state government offices.

The decision comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party is preparing to form its first government in the state after securing a decisive mandate. The move is seen as part of the transition process as the outgoing administration makes way for the incoming regime.

Officials indicated that the restrictions apply specifically to retired personnel who had been given contractual or advisory roles under the previous government. These individuals have now been asked not to access offices or handle official work.

The development follows a broader directive issued by the state administration to ensure that no official documents or records are removed, damaged, or tampered with during the transition period. Authorities have emphasised strict accountability, placing responsibility on departmental heads to safeguard files and maintain proper records.

The political backdrop to this move is the sweeping victory of the BJP in the 2026 West Bengal elections, marking a major shift in the state’s political landscape after years of Trinamool Congress rule.

With the new government expected to take charge soon, administrative reshuffling and tightening of access to government infrastructure are being viewed as measures to ensure a smooth and transparent handover of power.

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Vijay expresses gratitude to Modi, Rahul Gandhi for congratulatory messages after poll victory

Vijay thanked PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi after his party’s strong Tamil Nadu poll performance, promising governance focused on public welfare.

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Actor vijay

Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for congratulating him on his party’s strong performance in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026.

Vijay, who leads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), acknowledged the wishes shared by both leaders following the party’s impressive electoral debut, which has significantly altered the political landscape of Tamil Nadu.

Responding to the Prime Minister on social media platform X, Vijay said that his party’s focus would remain on public welfare and development. He emphasised that governance should rise above political differences and aim at improving the lives of the people.

“The well-being of our people remains our only goal… we shall focus on the state’s progress and welfare,” he said, while also expressing hope for support from the Union government in achieving these objectives.

The TVK has emerged as a major political force in the state, breaking the long-standing dominance of traditional parties and marking a major shift in Tamil Nadu’s political dynamics.

According to early developments, the party has staked claim to form the government and may seek additional support if required to prove its majority in the assembly.

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