Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State Election Committee on Friday late evening finalized Ojaswi Mandavi, wife of slain BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi, as the party candidate for Dantewada by-elections. However, the formal announcement on the name will be done by the Central leadership tomorrow in Delhi.

 

 

As per party insiders, there was already a consensus in the party rank and file since only someone from the Bheema Mandavi family could give a befitting challenge to Devati Karma, wife of slain Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who spearheaded the most controversial anti-naxal movement tag-named as ‘Salwa Judum.’

 

 

If insiders are to be believed, the State Election Committee meeting has sent the name of Ojaswi Mandavi in the single-name panel to Central leadership seeking their approval. “The decision to finalize Ojaswi’s name had many political dimensions. Firstly, Ojaswi is wife of party’s slain Dantewada MLA Bheema Mandavi, who was killed in Maoist ambush on April 9 this year and the party is expecting sympathy votes for the wife of popular tribal leader hope to get leverage over Congress’s candidate, who too is a widow of another popular leader Mahendra Karma, who was also fondly known as Bastar Tiger. Secondly, it’s a well-calculated decision with a deep political insight given the fact the BJP wanted to pick a fresh face for the contest, even as the state leadership had very clear options to choose from among the two other senior tribal leaders Baiduram Kashyap and Lacchuram Kashyap. Moreover, the party had also lost two previous election held in Chitrakot Assembly constituencies,” the insiders averred.

 

 

They also explained that the party’s debacle in Bastar in the Lok Sabha elections and Deepak Baij of Congress getting elected as Member of Parliament prompted the BJP leaders to be very cautious while electing the candidate for Dantewada by-polls. Moreover, the decision of Congress-led state government to distribute the ‘Pattas’ to the forest dewellers here might give them advantage and it has already yielded positive results for them in the Lok Sabha elections. “Henceforth, the state election committee’s careful and meticulous deliberation for short-listing the name of Ojaswi Mandavi for Dantewada is justified by all means and measures now,” the party leaders maintained.

 

 

Meanwhile, as per the insiders, the election committee meeting slated to commence at 8 pm at the party’s State Office situated at Kushabhau Thakure premises, commenced a bit late since senior party leaders including former Chief Minister and BJP National Vice President Dr Raman Singh arrived late. The meeting was prominently attended by other senior leaders including BJP State President Vikram Usendi, Organisation Secretary Pawan Sai and Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly Dharamlal Kaushik, in addition to designated rank and file of state election committee. Post the state election committee meeting, BJP National Vice-President and former Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh while interacting with the media persons also affirmed that they have forwarded the name Ojaswi Mandvi in the single-name panel to the central leadership in New Delhi, which will finally decide on it on Saturday.