Bhopal:

There were no surprises in the BJP’s fourth list for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan featured on the list of 57 hopefuls.

The Chief Minister will contest from the Budhni constituency for the sixth time.

The BJP has so far announced 136 candidates of the 230 seats it will contest in the state. Twenty-four ministers were fielded from the seats they currently represent, despite some facing high anti-incumbency.

Six Ministers and MLAs, loyalists of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, have been fielded from their current constituencies.

The fourth list includes Vidhan Sabha Speaker Girish Gautam, who had failed to get his son elected in the 2022 panchayat polls in the state’s Rewa district. Mr Gautam has been fielded from the Deotalab seat which he managed to retain by just 1,080 votes in 2018.

Political circles were abuzz with possibilities of the Chief Minister, who is also a five-time former Vidisha MP, either being benched in the upcoming polls to be fielded in the next year’s crucial Lok Sabha elections or being shifted to a seat that is more challenging for the next month’s poll.

Adding to the buzz, the Chief Minister, during a speech in the state’s Dindori district, had asked people whether he should contest the upcoming polls.

However, with the Chief Minister’s name on the BJP’s fourth list, all speculations have been put to rest.

The Congress is yet to announce the names of its candidates and may release its lists during the Navratri, which begins on October 15.

Along with Madhya Pradesh, the BJP also announced the second list for Chhattisgarh with 64 candidates. Union Minister Renuka Singh will contest from the Bharatpur-Sonhat seat, Gomati Sai from Pathalgaon and Arun Sao, an MP from Bilaspur and the party’s state chief, from the Lormi seat.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh will contest from Rajnandgaon – his traditional seat.

The BJP is yet to declare the names of candidates for five seats in Chhattisgarh, including for Ambikapur – the pocket borough of Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo. A few days ago, Mr Singh Deo, a senior Congress leader, thanked PM Modi for all the projects he announced.

“We have worked under the guidance of the Centre and I do not want to miss out on saying that, in my experience, I did not feel any partiality. In the state, when we asked for something from the Centre, they never denied it. I believe the state and the Centre will work together to take the country and state forward,” he had said.

Madhya Pradesh will vote in a single phase, while Chhattisgarh in two phases next month. The results will be declared on December 3.

Bhopal:

The World Heritage Site Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district has become India’s first solar city. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan formally launched it today.

It has a capacity of 3 megawatts in Nagauri near Sanchi, which will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 13,747 tonnes. This is equivalent to more than 2,38,000 trees. Sanchi has become India’s first solar city.

“The production of electricity from coal and other resources causes a negative impact on the environment. The citizens of Sanchi, the Renewable Energy Department, and all scientists have done a commendable task by resorting to solar energy option,” Mr Chouhan said.

“The resolve to make Sanchi a net-zero city with the help of IIT Kanpur is a commendable step. This city will be an example before the world. It is very important to save the environment. The increasing energy needs have to be met by the use of renewable energy. Soon solar pumps will also help in agriculture,” he said.

This plant will help Sanchi in annual saving of Rs 7.68 crore on electricity expenditure. The citizens of Sanchi have adopted an idea of solar in every home.

A five-megawatt solar project will be established in Gulgaon soon, which will meet the energy needs of the agricultural sector near Sanchi. About 7,000 citizens in Sanchi have taken a pledge to save electricity by using solar stand lamps, solar study lamps and solar lanterns in their homes. About 63 kilowatt capacity solar plants have been installed on domestic rooftops.