RAIPUR: Hamar Raj party, floated by Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj – an umbrella organisation of tribal communities—on Tuesday released its first list 19 candidates to the contest the next month’s assembly elections in the state.
Addressing a press conference, Hamar Raj party (HRP) working president B S Rawte released their first list of 19 candidates, including 10 candidates to contest for the seats reserved for the scheduled tribes, two nominees to contest for seats reserved for scheduled caste and seven candidates will contest for the general seats. The newly registered tribal dominated party has already announced to field at least 50 candidates in the election to the 90-member assembly.
Prominent among the candidate is a former IPS officer Akbar Ram Korram, who had put up a spirited fight as an independent and polled 23,417 votes. However, the ruling Congress had won the by-election.
Other HRP candidates are Geeta Sonha ( Pratappur-ST), Parashuram Bhagat ( Samri-ST), Anuk Pratap singh tekkam ( Lundra-ST), Bhawani Singh Sidar ( Kharasia) Kanaiya Anand Kanwar ( Rampur-ST), Shiv Narayan Dhurv ( Bilha), Sukhram Khute ( Masturi-SC), Biritiya Chouhan ( Saraipali-SC), Jagdish Sidar ( Basna), Parmeshwari Paikra ( Kasdol) , Vinod Kumar Nagwanshi ( Sanjari-Balod), Chhatarram Chandravanshi ( Dongergaon) , Lalita Paikra ( Khujji), Yuvraj Netam ( Mohla Manpur-ST), Pankuram Netam ( Kondagaon-ST), Ramlal Usendi (Narayanpur-ST), Lakheshwar Kashyap ( Bastar-ST), Ashok Talandi ( Bijapur-ST).
Veteran tribal leader Arvind Netam, a former union minister who quit Congress recently, had mobilized the Sarva Adivasi samaj on the issues of protection of “Jal Jungle Jameen” and against the alleged dilution of Panchayati Raj Extension in scheduled Areas (PESA) Act by the successive governments. Later, the samaj decided to float their own political party, which had announced to field its own candidates in the coming elections.
