Congress candidate Savitri Mandvi and Bharatiya Janata Party's Bramhanand Netam filed their nomination papers for bypoll on the Bhanupratappur seat in Chhattisgarh on Thursday.
Both candidates have claimed victory in the election to be held on December 5. The results of the bypoll will be announced on December 8.
Former state Chief Minister Raman Singh, BJP state president Arun Sao, former minister Brijmohan Agarwal and other BJP leaders were present when Bramhanand Netam filed his nomination papers.
Savitri Mandavi filed her nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress state president Mohan Markam and other ministers and filed her nomination.
Raman Singh slammed the government over its performance in the past four years.
"The biggest issue is Bhupesh Baghel's failure of four years, corruption and crime against women. The Congress has cheated Scheduled tribes and backward sections. Sand mafia and liquor mafia are active in the whole state and people feel insecure, they have tolerated a lot for the last four years. The election which is being held is not for making or breaking the government, but it will send a message. With the victory of Brahmanand Netam, this will be the first step to end the misrule of Congress in Chhattisgarh," Singh told reporters.
Brahmanand Netam expressed confidence of getting support of people.
"I will definitely get the blessings of the public. Bharatiya Janata Party will win from here," he said.
Bhupesh Baghel said that the party will win the seat with greater margin than in the previous polls.
"The people of Bhanupratappur have resolved to give the seat to Congress by more votes than the record that late Manoj Mandavi had made," he said.
"Bharatiya Janata Party is continuously losing all the by-elections whether it is Dantewada, Chitrakoot, Marwahi Khairagarh, they have lost all the by-elections. They will lose the Bhanupratappur by-election too," he added.
Savitri Mandavi said she will go the people with the development work done by Bhupesh Baghel government in the last four years.
"We are getting full support from the public. I do not consider BJP candidate Brahmanand Netam as a challenge. We have seen his tenure as well but the people of Bhanupratappur have seen the development here for the last several years, so I do not consider him a challenge," she said.
Savitri Mandvi is wife of former MLA Manoj Mandavi Netam. The seat fell vacant following the death of Manoj Mandavi, who was the sitting Congress MLA.
( With inputs from ANI )
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