MP Assembly polls: BJP fields influential tribal leader's daughter Monika Batti from Kamal Nath's stronghold

New Delhi [India], September 26 : A day after releasing the second list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, BJP on Tuesday announced Monica Batti as the candidate from Amarwara (ST) seat.
Monica Batti is considered a big bet for BJP in Kamal Nath's stronghold. The Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh is upbeat after it won a ward in the Chhindwara constituency in the local body bypolls in the state in June this year, the stronghold of state Congress president and former CM Kamal Nath's assembly constituency.
Chhindwara is a tribal-dominated area and Monica Batti is considered to have influence in this community.
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Earlier on September 19, Monica was inducted into the party under the guidance of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Monica Batti, the daughter of Manmohan Shah Batti, a former MLA, was the National President of All India Gondwana.
Manmohan Batti was MLA from Amarwara Legislative Assembly of Chhindwara district and was considered an influential leader of the tribal community who passed away due to Corona. Monika Batti have been fielded from Amarwara a seat which was won by her father Manmohan shah Batti in 2003.
After his death, Monica Batti took over the reins of the National President of the Gondwana Party. After joining the BJP, she resigned from the position of national president and primary membership of the Gondwana Party.
Chhindwara District has a majority of the tribal population which includes the Gond, Pardhan, Bharia, Korku, Hindi, Gondi, Urdu, Korku Musai etc.
Meanwhile, Amarwara is a tehsil and a Nagar Palika Parishad in the Chhindwara district in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
To counter anti-incumbency against its CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and offer an alternative leadership in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the BJP released the second list of 39 candidates, union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been nominated from the Dimani seat, while minister of state for food processing and Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel from Narsingpur.
Minister of state for rural development Phaggan Kulaste has been fielded from the Niwas seat. Tomar is also the chairman of the party’s election management committee in the state.
In its list of 39 candidates, the party also fielded its national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya from the Indore-1 seat.
Other notable candidates in the list included MPs Ganesh Mantri, Rakesh Singh and Reeti Pathak.
The BJP released its first list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections on August 17, revealing the names of 39 candidates.
The state is scheduled to go for the Assembly polls later this year. Through the polls, the state will elect legislators from 230 Assembly constituencies.