Congress announces 5th list for MP polls, Sartaj Singh to contest from Hoshangabad

Bhopal: The Congress on Thursday announced its fifth list of 16 candidates for coming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections that included the name of disgruntled Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former minister Sartaj Singh, who left the BJP and joined the Congress on Thursday, from Hoshangabad.

The party has fielded Vanshmani Verma from Deosar (Scheduled Caste) replacing Rambhajan Saket who was declared candidate by the Congress earlier. The Congress fielded Girish Sharma from Govindpura seat. He is pitted against BJP candidate and former chief minister Babulal Gaur’s daughter-in-law Krishna Gaur.

The party has nominated Babu Jhandel and Kamesh Sahu from Sheopur and Rehli respectively. In Rehli, Sahu will lock horns with senior BJP minister Gopal Bhargava. Sahu, a former BJP member, has worked with Bhargava earlier. The party has fielded Pradyumn Singh Lodhi and Gaurav Patel from Malehra and Patharia respectively.

The Congress has nominated Shivjit Singh from Panna, Mithilesh Jain from Mudwara, Vinay Kumar Saxena from Jabalpur North, Harish Baman from Piparia (SC), Naresh Gyan Chandani from Huzur, Om Patel from Khategaon, former minister Subhash Sojatia from Garoth, Umrao Singh Gurjar from Manasa and Mr Satyanarayan Patidar from Neemuch. The party is yet to announce candidates for two remaining seats.