Nine candidates in fray for Dantewada Assembly bypoll

Raipur: Battle lines have been drawn for the Dantewada Assembly seat by-election in Chhattisgarh on September 23 wherein nine candidates are in the fray.

The by-election in the Naxal-affected seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi in a Naxal attack in April this year.

"After the end of the deadline for withdrawal of nominations on Saturday, nine candidates are in the fray," an election official said here on Sunday. Earlier, 10 candidates filed their nominations and papers of nine of them were found valid after scrutiny, he said. "None of the candidates withdrew their nomination," he added. The seat is likely to witness a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. The Congress has again reposed faith in Devti Karma, wife of party leader Mahendra Karma who was killed in the Jhiram valley Naxal attack in 2013, for the bypoll.

The BJP has fielded Ojaswi Mandavi, wife of Bhima Mandavi, in a bid to cash in on the sympathy vote.

The other contestants are - Hemant Poyam (BSP), Sujit Karma (Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J)), Bhimsen Mandavi (CPI), Ajay Nag (NCP), Ballu Ram Bhawani (AAP), Yogesh Markam (Gondwana Gantantra Party) and Independent Sudru Ram Kunjam.