By PTI
BHOPAL: A total of 55 candidates are contesting the upcoming bypolls to one Lok Sabha constituency and three Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, an election official said on Tuesday.
After the last date of withdrawal of candidature Monday, a maximum of 19 candidates are in fray from the Raigaon (SC) Assembly seat in Satna district and 16 from the Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency for the bypolls to be held on October 30, the official said.
In Jobat (ST) Assembly seat of Alirajpur district, nine candidates are in the fray, while 11 candidates are trying their luck from Prithvipur Assembly seat in Niwari district, the official said.
The main contest is between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the state.
In the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has fielded former district panchayat president Gyaneshwar Patil, denying ticket to Harshvardhan Chauhan, son of sitting MP Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, whose demise necessitated the bypoll in the constituency.
The Congress has fielded former MLA Rajnarayan Singh Purni from the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat.
For the bypoll to Jobat (ST) Assembly seat, which fell vacant due to the death of sitting Congress legislator Kalawati Bhuria, the BJP has given ticket to Sulochana Rawat against Congress candidate Mahesh Patel.
Rawat, a former MLA, joined the BJP recently after quitting the Congress.
She earlier won from the seat twice on Congress’s ticket in 1998 and 2008.
From Raigaon (SC) seat, the BJP has fielded Pratima Bagri, the daughter-in-law of sitting MLA Jugal Kishore Bagri, whose death necessitated the bypoll.
The Congress has given ticket to Kalpana Verma, who earlier unsuccessfully contested against Jugal Kishore Bagri in the 2018 state Assembly elections.
From Prithvipur Assembly seat, the BJP has fielded Shishupal Singh against Congress’s Nitendra Rathore.
Singh had joined the BJP after quitting the Samajwadi Party.
Nitendra Rathore is the son of former minister Brajendra Singh Rathore, whose death has necessitated the bypoll in the constituency.
The counting of votes will take place on November 2.
