BSP to contest 55 seats in Chhattisgarh

The Bahujan Samaj Party on Sunday said it would contest 55 of the 90 seats in Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls on December 1.

However, it said it would not put up a candidate against Chief Minister Ajit Jogi.

"We had earlier decided to contest from all the 90 seats, but the October 8 CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] raids against BSP president Mayawati and the subsequent political atmosphere forced us to reconsider our strategy," BSP national general secretary Narendra Kashyap said in Raipur.

Releasing the names of candidates, Kashyap said BSP state president Dauram Ratnakar would contest from Pamgarh, which he currently represents.

"It has been decided to stop the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] from coming to power in the state..." he added.

He also denied of a secret alliance with the ruling Congress in the state.