Bhopal, October 15: The Congress has chosen "Hanuman" to take on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his home turf Budhni in Sehore district in the Assembly polls scheduled for November 17. The opposition party, which released its first list of 144 candidates during the day, has given the ticket from Budhni to actor Vikram Mastal, who achieved fame for his portrayal of Hanuman in the popular television serial "Ramayan 2". Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: Congress To Release Next List in Two-Three Days, Says Kamal Nath

Mastal (40) joined the Congress two months ago and hails from Budhni. "Chouhan has a huge challenge as Mastal is very popular. He is the Congress' Hanuman," Congress spokesperson Charan Singh Sapra told reporters. Chouhan (64) is the longest serving chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and has been on the top post a record four times. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Election 2023: Congress Fields 19 Female Candidates in First List in Vidhan Sabha Polls

He has won from Budhni four consecutive times since 2006, and was also MLA between 1990 and 1991. Incidentally, the Congress started its campaign for the polls on June 12 this year in Jabalpur with massive cutouts of Hanuman dotting the city and rallies witnessing 'Jai Bajrang Bali' chants.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)