Will file nomination as independent, claims Chhattisgarh Cong MLA Anoop Nag

Kanker: Chhattisgarh Congress MLA Anoop Nag, who has so far been denied a ticket by the party for the next month’s assembly polls, said on Wednesday that he would submit his nomination as an independent from his Antagarh constituency.

The ruling Congress denied tickets to eight sitting legislators, including Nag, in its first list of 30 candidates released on Sunday.

Nag had won from Antagarh, a seat reserved for the Scheduled Tribe category, by a margin of 13,414 votes against BJP’s Vikram Usendi in the 2018 elections.

The Congress has fielded Roop Singh Potai from the seat this time, while the BJP has re-nominated Usendi, a former state minister and ex-MP.

Talking to reporters after purchasing the nomination form, Nag said, “I have purchased the nomination form as an independent candidate and will submit it on October 20, the last day of filing of nominations.” Antagarh is among the 20 seats going to polls in the first phase of voting on November 7. Votes will be cast in the remaining 70 seats in the state in the second phase on November 17. Counting of votes will done on December 3.

The legislator said people of his constituency as well as adjoining areas are dismayed that he has been denied a ticket.

“For the last five years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked in the area. Despite that, such a decision was taken. I was expecting to get another chance from the party to serve the people but it did not happen,” he said.

Nag, who joined politics after retiring from the state police, also took a dig at Potai. “Surprisingly the person who was an active member of BJP and joined Congress before the last elections has been fielded by the party,” he said.

According to Nag, it had been said in the Congress’ ‘Sankalp Shivir’ in Rajasthan that those who had joined the party after quitting other outfits would not be given a ticket. However, that has not been followed in Antagarh, the MLA said.

“He (Potai) had even lost panchayat polls in his village. People are watching and after elections, it will be ‘doodh ka doodh pani ka pani’ (truth will emerge after polls),” Nag added.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel visited Kanker, about 140 km from the state capital Raipur, on Wednesday to be present during the filing of nominations of Congress candidates from Kanker, Bhanupratappur and Antagarh seats.

The Congress registered a landslide victory in the 2018 polls winning 68 seats in the 90-member assembly and comfortably formed the government. The BJP was reduced to 15 seats, while the JCC (J) and the BSP bagged 5 and 2 seats, respectively. The current strength of the Congress in the House is 71.