Bhupesh Baghel.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Political Party: Congress
Parliamentary Constituency: Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh
When several Congress top guns refused to fight the Lok Sabha elections, Bhupesh Baghel did not bat an eyelid when the party asked him to fight from Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon.
Popularly known as 'Kaka', the 62-year-old leader is one of the prominent OBC faces of the Congress and had steered the party to victory after its entire leadership was wiped out in a naxal attack in 2013.
He was badly bruised in the Assembly elections late last year as he could not ensure Congress' return to power, though he did defeat his nephew Vijay Baghel, who was fielded by the BJP in Patan.
He has opted for Rajnandgaon for his latest electoral battle, even though the BJP has held the seat since 1999, with an exception of a by-poll in 2009. His Assembly seat falls in Durg, from where Vijay is seeking re-election. This is a do-or-die for the veteran leader as the party expects him to win.
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