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Congress first list in Madhya Pradesh: TV actor who played Hanuman to take on Shivraj, 69 MLAs renominated

Kamal Nath to contest from home bastion Chhindwara, Digvijaya’s son Jaivardhan in the fray from Raghogarh

madhya pradesh assembly election congress listThe Congress sprung a surprise by picking television actor Vikram Mastal to take on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni. (X/@SAURABHSHUKLAINC)
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The Congress released its first list of 144 candidates in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, affirming its faith in former Chief Minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath and 69 sitting MLAs.

Nath will contest from his bastion Chhindwara while former Leader of the Opposition and seven-time MLA Dr Govind Singh will once again contest from Lahar. Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s son Jaivardhan Singh has been fielded from Raghogarh and former Cabinet minister Jitu Patwari will be in the fray from Rau.

With the list, which was released keeping in the religious significance of the first day of Sharad Navaratri, the party sprung a surprise by picking television actor Vikram Mastal to take on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni. Mastal, who played the role of Hanuman in the 2008 reboot of Ramayan has been fielded considering the party’s shift to soft Hindutva politics and with Kamal Nath himself steering the party through this path by portraying himself as a staunch Hanuman devotee. In the last election, former Union Minister Arun Yadav lost to Chouhan, following which he was subsequently sidelined in the party over a feud with Nath.

Of the candidates, 39 belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, 22 are from the Scheduled Castes (SC), 30 are from the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and six are from religious minority communities. The party has given tickets to 19 women and the line-up is full of rather young candidates as 65 of them are under the age of 50.

Congress spokesperson Piyush Babele said, “If we compare Congress’s first list with that of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP announced 39 names in their first list and they also announced tickets for contested seats. The BJP’s first list made it clear that despite being in power for 18 years, it is in a defensive position to fight the elections.”

Babele said while the BJP chose to announce Chouhan’s name in the fourth list, the Congress issued tickets to its winning MLAs in the first list, signalling the confidence it has in the legislators and “making it clear that the party is aggressively entering the election arena”. The Congress has said the announcement of the list got delayed because it took time to consult a wide range of party leaders “unlike the BJP in which the Central government runs the show”.

A Congress leader said, “The list of candidates is based on extensive surveys and was finalised only after consulting every tier of the party leadership. This is the best possible list of candidates we arrived at to counter the BJP.”

Curated For You

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

 

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  • Congress Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023 Political Pulse
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