4 of Raman Ministers in trouble to get ticket

     Raipur, October 21, 2008: At least four of the Ministers of Raman Cabinet are facing the situation of a virtual denial of tickets for the November 2008 assembly election.

     The BJP organisation had taken a tough stand against four of the ministers and some 15 MLAs for their activities as the people’s representatives or part of the Government, top BJP sources told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com.

     Ganesh Ram Bhagat, the Tribal Affairs and Housing and Environment Minister, is being denied ticket as the party Organisation was not very happy with his activities, BJP sources said. Even prominent leader Dillip Singh Ju Deo had also refused to give Bhagat his blessing for the ticket because of his past performance as a Minister, they said.

     Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar, who had been projected as the icon of corruption by the main Opposition Congress, was also facing difficulty in getting ticket as he had been placed with couple of other party leaders from Kurud in a panel.

     The situation was so bad for Chandrakar that one prominent national BJP leader yesterday night made a secret visit of his Kurud constituency in Dhamtari district and discussed with the old party cadre to take a final decision whom to field, the sources said.

     Doctor-turned-Health Minister Dr Krishna Murti Bandhi’s political health was not keeping well after some documents were used by his political rivals to prove that he was involved in some wrong doings.

     Ramayan visharad Megharam Sahu was also said to be not in the favourable list of Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh as controversies had followed him whether he became the School Education Minister or that of Food and Civil Supply Minister and ultimately the government was grilled for his actions.

     The ruling party is also actively considering changing about 15 sitting MLAs with new faces to return to power again in the state.