Ajit Jogi questions Raman Singh for constituency shift

Raipur, Oct 23 (IANS) Congress veteran and former chief minister Ajit Jogi Thursday said Chief Minister Raman Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lacked courage to seek fresh mandate from his own constituency.

The ruling BJP, which took over from the Jogi-led Congress in December 2003, released the first list of 78 candidates Oct 21, out of state's total 90 seats for the two phased polls Nov 14 and 20.

Raman Singh will contest from Rajnandgaon rather than Dongargaon, the constituency he presently represents in the state assembly. He won the seat in a by-poll in 2004.

'The chief minister's lack of courage to seek a fresh mandate from his own constituency is symptomatic of the BJP's overall morale and mental state in Chhattisgarh,' Jogi said in a press statement.

'It shows the BJP's overall mental state in Chhattisgarh,' he said.

This is the third time in a row Raman Singh has changed his assembly constituency. In 1998, he contested from his home turf, Kawardha, but lost to a Congress candidate.

The state goes to polls in two phases - Nov 14 and 20 - to elect a new 90 member state assembly. In the first phase, 39 segments will go to polls while 51 seats will see election in the final phase.