BHOPAL: BJP has dropped 36 sitting MLAs — including three ministers — in its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, leading Congress to say it’s a sign that the ruling party accepts anti-incumbency.The list, which seems to have the clear stamp of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan , shows that 25 ministers have been retained in their constituencies. And as expected, Chouhan is contesting from his home constituency, Budhni. The biggest change is in Gwalior East, where cabinet minister Maya Singh has been replaced by Satish Sikarwar, elder brother of Sumawali MLA Satyapal Singh Sikarwar. Sons have replaced fathers in two seats — MoS Harsh Singh, who is ailing, has made way for son Vikram Singh in Rampur-Baghelan constituency and Mudit Shejwar will contest from Sanchi in place of cabinet minister Gauri Shankar Shejwar Two Lok Sabha members figure on the list, released by BJP central election committee secretary J P Nadda. Dewas-Shajapur MP Manohar Utwal will contest Agar (SC) seat while Khajuraho MP Nagendra Singh has been nominated for Nagod. The ruling party has repeated 22 MLAs who had lost the 2013 election.“The CEC has released the names after due consideration and through a transparent process. BJP is sure to win the election with 200-plus seats,” said BJP media convener and Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha. Only 16 women have been given tickets, and, interestingly, not a single Indore seat figures in the first list. Govindpura and Bhopal North were conspicuous in their absence.Guddu lashed out at Congress and said he was feeling “suffocated” for a long time. Talking the BJP language, he called Congress a party of “raja and maharaja”. Congress responded with ‘good riddance’.“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan have been working for the poor. Congress, however, is being run as an elite class with no concern for Dalits and the downtrodden,” Guddu said, complaining that he was being sidelined in Congress.It’s believed BJP may give him or his son an assembly ticket. A Congress MP in the 15th Lok Sabha from Ujjain, Guddu is a two-time MLA and was one of the heavyweights. Vijayvargiya said: “A Congress leader of over 30 years has decided to join BJP. This underlines the falling fortunes of the opposition party.”Congress lost no time in calling him a traitor.State Congress media committee chairperson Shobha Oza said, “It matters least to Congress if people like Prem Chand Guddu leave. He was trying for tickets for both himself and his son Ajith Borasi from Sanver and Alot assembly seats. But the party will not give him a ticket because of the manipulation he did during the 2013 assembly elections when he removed party candidate Kamal Parmar during nomination filing and ensured that his son Ajith was contesting from the seat. Congress will not give place to such manipulators.”

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