Tough fight between BJP, Cong in Sarguja
| Date :18-Apr-2019 |
By Abhishek Kumar RAIPUR:
Sarguja Lok Sabha reserved seat for scheduled tribes (ST) is expected to witness a tough and straight fight between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Renuka Singh Saruta and Congress candidate Khel Sai Singh in the Lok Sabha elections-2019. The elections for Sarguja seat will be conducted under the third phase of the general elections on April 23. Sarguja Lok Sabha segment is comprising eight Assembly segments- Premnagar, Bhatgaon, Pratappur, Ramanujganj, Samri, Lundra, Ambikapur and Sitapur. A total of 10 candidates are in the race for Sarguja Lok Sabha seat.
Congress candidate Khelsai Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Maya Bhagat, BJP candidate Renuka Singh Saruta, Gondvana Gantantra Party candidate Asha Devi Poya, Rashtriya Jansabha Party candidate Chandradeep Singh Korcho, Ambedkarite Party of India candidate Guman Singh Poya, Bahujan Mukti Party candidate Pawan Kumar Nag, Shivsena candidate Mohan Singh Tekam, Shoshit Samaj Dal candidate Ramnath Cherwa and independent candidate Palsay Uranv are in the fray in Sarguja Lok Sabha constituency. 16,53,823 voters including 8,29,392 male voters, 8,24,421 female voters and 10 third gender voters will decide the fate of 10 candidates in Sarguja on April 23. In Lok Sabha election-2014, BJP candidate Kamalbhan Singh Marabi defeated Congress candidate Ramdeo Tirkey by a margin of 1,47,236 votes.
The BJP candidate polled 5,85,336 votes while the Congress candidate polled Ramdeo Tirkey 4,38,100 votes in the last elections. In 2009, BJP candidate Murarilal Singh won the election from Sarguja while the BJP candidate Nand Kumar Sai won this seat in 2004. The BJP won Sarguja reserved seat four times in 1989, 2004, 2009 and 2013 while Larang Sai contested Lok Sabha elections from Sarguja on Bharatiya Lok Dal ticket in 1997 and won this seat. Congress won Sarguja Lok Sabha seat 10 times. C S Singhdeo and Babu Nath Singh became the first Lok Sabha Members from Sarguja in 1951. Social activist O P Agrawal said that two MPs one from general category and another from scheduled tribes were elected from Sarguja Lok Sabha Segment between 1951 and 1957.
In 1962, Sarguja Lok Sabha constituency was reserved for ST. Indian National Congress candidate Babu Nath Singh was elected Lok Sabh Member from Sarguja in 1962. Babu Nath Singh represented Sarguja Lok Sabha constituency five times. The BJP didn’t give ticket to its sitting MP Kamalbhan Singh Marabi in this election. The BJP fielded former Women and Child Development Minister and ex-MLA from Premnagar Renuka Singh Saruta from Sarguja seat this time. Renuka Singh was the Women and Child Development Minister between 2003 and 2005. She was appointed as the Vice Chairperson of the Sarguja Development Authority from 2005 to 2013.
Congress party fielded former MP and sitting Premnagar MLA Khelsai Singh from Sarguja seat. Khelsai Singh earlier had won Sarguja Lok Sabha seat three times in 1991, 1996 and 1999. Khelsai Singh is trying to wrest Sarguja seat from BJP after 15 years. The BJP is struggling hard to retain Sarguja Lok Sabha reserved seat after the BJP lost all eight assembly seats of Sarguja Lok Sabha constituency in the recently concluded assembly elections. The Congress party received a total of 6,41,328 votes in the recently concluded assembly elections while Bharatiya Janata Party got 4,16,370 votes. The difference of votes between the Congress and the BJP is 2,24,958 votes. Both- Congress and BJP are making all efforts to win this seat.
Both parties are working hard work to win this seat. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh and other senior BJP leaders campaigned for BJP candidate Renuka Singh Saruta in Sarguja Lok Sabha segment. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Health Minister and Ambikapur MLA T S Singhdeo and other senior Congress leaders are extensively conducting election rallies in the Sarguja Lok Sabha segment and appealing to the voters to ensure the party candidate Khelsai Singh’s victory. The BJP candidate is highlighting the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in the last five years while the Congress government is highlighting the achievements of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel government.