In a major blow to the Congress party, Chhattisgarh Congress Vice President Ghanaram Sahu has resigned just hours before the state goes for voting in the first phase of state assembly elections tomorrow, 12th November. He submitted his resignation to Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee chief Bhupesh Baghel today and is expected to joint the BJP tomorrow in presence of BJP President Amit Shah.
In a letter accessed by Republic TV, Sahu has hit out on party’s state president Baghel and the OBC wing president Tamra Dhwaj Sahu accusing the latter of having an anti-women. Last month, Chhattisgarh Congress’ working president Dam Dayal Uike had quit Congress and joined the BJP. Uike is considered one of the influential leaders in the tribal regions.
He has been a three-time MLA, of which two times he had fought on Congress ticket. Sahu had won elections as an independent candidate in 1972 and became a Congress member in 1977 and fought elections on Congress ticket which he won by 11,000 votes. In 1998, he was again given ticket from Congress which he won by 9,000 votes. However, he lost elections on Congress ticket in 2003 and 2008 from Gunderdehi constituency. He had been asking for a ticket from Gunderdehi constituency for 2018 but he had not filed his nomination.
Chhattisgarh goes to voting for the first phase tomorrow, 12th November and second phase will take place on 20th November. The counting will take place on 11th December along with the other four states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana.