Ujjain, October 10: The stage is all set for Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023 as the Election Commission on Monday, October 9, 2023, announced the polling date for the state, along with Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023 is scheduled for November 17, and the counting of votes will take place on December 3. Viewed as the semi-final for Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha polls are all about Congress vs BJP.

In 2018, Congress, under the leadership of Kamal Nath, broke the BJP's 15-year run and made a comeback in the state by winning 114 seats, five more than the BJP. Despite falling short of securing a simple majority, Congress formed a government with the help of four independents, with Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister. However, the Congress government collapsed after 22 rebel Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP later. In March 2020, Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state for the fourth time. As we inch closer to the showdown, we at LatestLY, bring you Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023 key candidates and their constituencies. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023: From Anti-Incumbency to Corruption, Top 10 Issues in MP Vidhan Sabha Polls.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has represented the Budhni assembly seat since 2006. Situated on the banks of the river Narmada, Budhni in Sehore district remains Chouhan's pocket borough. The BJP stalwart won the seat for his party in the 2008, 2013 and 2018 assembly elections. Chouhan defeated former Union minister and Congress leader Arun Yadav by a margin of 58,999 votes in the last assembly polls to retain his bastion. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: A Look Back at The Polling, Alliances And Results of 2018 Election Ahead of State Vidhan Sabha Polls.

Narottam Mishra

Narottam Mishra, the current home minister and a chief ministerial hopeful, has been representing Datia in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly since 2008. In the 2018 polls, he won by a narrow margin of just over 2,600 votes against former MLA and senior Congress leader Rajendra Bharti. Dr. Mishra is known for his controversial statements and often remains in the news.

Kamleshwar Patel

Starting his electoral journey in 2013, Kamleshwar Patel won by more than 32,000 votes and was re-elected with a similar margin from the Sihawal seat. He was the Minister of State (MoS) for panchayat and rural development in the Nath government. Patel is known for his subdued working style and is expected to help strategise ways to deliver BJP strongholds in the Vindhya region.

Prabhuram Choudhary

Prabhuram Choudhary, a loyalist of Jyotiraditya Scindia, is the state health minister and represents Sanchi in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He resigned as an MLA and minister in the Congress government in 2020 and joined the BJP. In the 2020 bypoll, he won with an enhanced margin of 63,809 votes compared to 2018, the highest winning gap for any candidate in the by-elections held that year.

Narendra Singh Tomar

Narendra Singh Tomar is serving as Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare of India. Tomar has been fielded from the Dimani constituency for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023. Tomar will contest the Vidhan Sabha elections after two decades. He last won the assembly polls from Gwalior for the second time in a row in 2003.

Riti Pathak

Two-time sitting MP Riti Pathak from Sidhi Lok Sabha seat has been given a ticket for the Sishi assembly seat. After a major uproar over the Sidhi urination case, BJP replaced veteran leader four-time sitting MLA Kedarnath Shukla, whose supporter was involved in the incident. By naming Pathak, the BJP seems to have tried to bring down the resentment among the tribals.

Prahlad Singh Patel

The Jal Shakti minister, Prahlad Singh Patel, will be contesting from the Narsingpur seat in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023. The 63-year-old leader represents the Lodhi Rajput community.

The election process in Madhya Pradesh will begin with the issue of notification on October 13. The last date of nomination for the candidate will be on October 20. Their candidature will be scrutinised on October 21. According to the rules of the Election Commission, candidates can withdraw their candidature by October 23.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2023 08:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).