NEW DELHI: In the run-up to the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, the major contenders BJP and Congress have both created much heartburn in their ranks in allotment of ticket for party candidates.

The BJP has denied tickets to a third of its MLAs, trying Narendra Modis tactic of countering anti-incumbency by changing a constituencys representative. Infighting in the party, already at a high, got a major boost after this and a large police contingent had to be deployed at the state party office. A fire brigade vehicle was also kept ready. The main gates were locked and senior party leaders chose to stay away from the office.

A BJP legislator Poonam Chandrakar staged a demonstration, demanding review of the decision, his supporters threatened to launch an indefinite dharna, and he hinted that he could enter the fray as an independent candidate.

Those denied tickets questioned the logic arguing how come the image of MLAs has suffered in the last few years but the image of all ministers remained intact.

Many have been openly declaring their intention of ensuring the defeat of their rivals. Allotment of ticket to former union minister Dilip Singh Judeos son also sparked off protests.

The Congress has created its own set of issues creating resentment in its ranks. Leaders have brazenly discarded norms and criteria to get tickets allotted to kith and kin. For the first time, a husband-wife team of former CM Ajit Jogi and Renu Jogi are in the fray, from adjoining constituencies.

VC Shukla will not contest but his family will be represented in the fray by his nephew Ambaresh. In case of Motilal Vohra, his son has been given a seat from Durg, although he has lost twice from the area. Arvind Netam managed a ticket for his daughter. Jogi's is the only name that has been proposed as the Congress candidate from the Marwahi constituency which he won twice.

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

Coming to power after overthrowing the Congress rule under Ajit Jogi with the promise of removing "bhay, bhookh and bhrashtachar" (fear, hunger and corruption), the BJP regime is seen as having done somewhat better but corruption charges plague the government.

Chief minister Raman Singh is the prime campaigner for the party from the state with central leaders and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi throwing in their weight as well.

For the Congress, former chief minister Ajit Jogi remains the best bet to lead the partys poll campaign and its bid to wrest back power from the BJP. Other heavyweights like Vidya Charan Shukla and Motilal Vora are seen by local people as leaders with more clout within the party than among the people.

Jogi, who recently reclaimed his stranglehold on the Chhattisgarh PCC after his 2003 post-poll political and legal mess, has been striking an aggressive posture, saying he was ready to run against the BJP chief minister if he announced his seat in advance. With Raman Singh ducking the challenge, Jogi opted for his home constituency.

The Maya-jaal
The main rivals would also have to contend with the BSP factor, the party which had won two seats last time. BJP leaders concede that they will have to take into consideration the growing presence and influence of the BSP. A senior BJP leader, who travelled across insurgency-infested Chhattisgarh in a pre-poll survey, said he was surprised at the extent of the BSPs forays into the tribal heartland. The BJP, however, believes the growing clout of the BSP would work to its advantage and dent Congress votes.

The Red signal
The naxal factor will hang heavy on the elections this year. The insurgency-hit Bastar regions 12 seats will see polls in the first phase. Most candidates do not plan to go campaigning in the forested interiors of the Bastar region where Maoist guerrillas have held sway since the 1980s.

Maoists have a strong presence in five assembly segments - Bijapur, Konta,
Dantewada, Narayanpur and Antagarh - while they have considerable hold in Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Chitrakot, Jagdalpur and Bastar.
The CRPF has conceded conducting Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh would be a "big challenge" for the force which has suffered numerous casualties in the recent times.

On October 20, 12 CRPF jawans were killed in an ambush in Bijapur district of the state while a Deputy Commandant of the forces 41 battalion alongwith three other troops were killed in a landmine blast on September 29 in Bastar.

The Election Commission has made arrangements to set up auxiliary polling booths in the relief camps for the settlers to exercise their franchise. The government runs 23 camps in Konta and Bijapur districts, and 12 in Dantewada, for about 50,000 tribal families who had to take refuge there due to the Maoists after the state government launched the controversial civil militia movement Salwa Judum in 2005.

Main polling booths would be set up at villages where the Salwa Judum camp settlers had returned, but auxiliary polling booths in the camps for those are still in the camps.

The announcement of elections has come as a bonanza for tribal families lodged in the camps with politicians vying with each other to provide the tribals with their favourite food bakra bhat (mutton rice). The voters in the camps will play a deciding role in elections in areas which are expected to see low voter turnout because of the Maoist influence in the interiors.

Source : DNA