Raman Singh, senior ministers in BJP list for Chhattisgarh assembly polls

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and a clutch of his senior ministers figure in the list of 78 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the assembly polls in the state that was released here late Tuesday night.

Singh, who represents Dongargaon in the current assembly, will contest from the adjacent Rajnandgan constituency. Both form part of the Rajnandgaon parliamentary constituency that Singh has previously represented.

The list was finalised by the party's Central Election Committee at a meeting here Tuesday chaired by BJP President Rajnath Singh. Senior leader L.K. Advani and others attended the meeting.

The party also released its list of candidates for the Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.

While the BJP will contest all the 78 seats in Chhattisgarh, it will field candidates for eight seats in Mizoram and 10 in Jammu and Kashmir - five each in the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

Among the other prominent names in the Chhattisgarh list are those of Revenue Minister Brijmohan Agarwal (Raipur City South), who is considered the number two in the cabinet, Home Minister Ramvichar Netam (Ramanujganj-ST) Industry Minister Rajesh Munat (Raipur City West), Panchayat Minister Ajaya Chandrakar (Kurud) and Health Minister Amar Agarwal (Bilaspur).

All of them have been fielded from constituencies they currently represent.

The Chhattisgarh poll will be held on November 14 and 20, while Mizoram will vote November 29. The seven-phased Kashmir polls will be held Nov 14-Dec 24.