Komal Hupendi to be AAP's CM candidate from C'garh

The Chhattisgarh unit of Aam Aadmi Party played a tribal card for the upcoming Assembly elections by announcing Komal Hupendi as its chief ministerial candidate.

"After doing extensive campaign across 45 state Assembly seats, we found that tribal community despite forming a sizeable chunk of the population has been a neglected lot. A consensus has emerged within the party to have a tribal candidate for the chief minister post, " said Gopal Rai state party incharge.

Rai further added several names cropped up for CM post during the discussion which includes Dr Somnath, Devlal Narethi and Soni Sori. Finally, the name of Komal Hupendi was zeroed in on.

The 37-year-old social worker is contesting from Bhanupratappur area and hails from village Mungwal in Kanker district.

AAP also released a list of four more candidates, Siyaram Thakur from Bindranavagarh, Indranath Sai from Kunkuri, Raja Thakur from Rajim and Jitendra Chandravanshi from Pandaria Assembly constituencies.

Rai said the party will be concentrating on 52 winnable constituencies in the state election. This assessment has come after the public meetings and interactions with people of the state. The people of Chhattisgarh wants a change and AAP has emerged as an alternative to them.

Terming the coalition of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Rai said that it is sinking ship and the alliance is to save the very existence.

CPM fields 2 candidates

CPM would field two candidates for state Assembly election, said party general secretary K N Ramachandran while addressing the media on Tuesday. Senior communist leader Bhoj Lal Netam will be party's candidate from Bindra Navagarh, while Tajram Virodhi will contest from Rajim Assembly constituency.