Jolt for Congress as nominee withdraws, may join BJP - Indian Express

Summary

His withdrawal at the last moment indicates party has little time now for selecting a new candidate and might have to go without a nominee.

Exposing the rift within the Chhattisgarh Congress, party candidate for Antagarh Assembly bypoll Mantu Ram Panwar on Friday withdrew his candidature 24 hours before the last date of withdrawal. The Antagarh seat was vacated after BJP MLA Vikram Usendi was elected to the Lok Sabha.

While PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel immediately suspended Panwar who is considered close to former CM Ajit Jogi, from the party, sources indicated that he is scheduled to join the BJP soon.

Panwar’s decision has taken the Congress by surprise as it was preparing hard for the September 13 bypoll. However, Panwar was an unwilling candidate since the start. During a recent party meeting he had conveyed that he did not want to contest this time. Panwar had contested five elections on Congress ticket from the tribal constituency of Antagarh and lost all five, including the polls in November 2013.

While the Baghel faction of the party said, “Panwar was nominated after consultation with all sections in the party,” Jogi and ex-minister Satyanarain Sharma claimed he had already told them about his unwillingness to contest.

His withdrawal at the last moment indicates the party has little time now for selecting a new candidate and might have to go without a nominee.

“His withdrawal indicates the BJP’s conspiracy against the Congress,” Congress general secretary Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said. A section in the Congress linked it to the rivalry between Baghel and Jogi. Some leaders believed it was the Jogi camp that persuaded Panwar to withdraw his candidature.

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