Bhopal, Aug 27 (IANS): The Bahujan Samaj Party on Thursday announced candidates for the by-elections to eight assembly seats in the Gwalior-Chambal region.

The BSP's move could dent the prospects of the Congress as most of these seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes. A triangular battle will tilt the balance in the BJP's favour in the event of a caste polarisation.

The election authorities have yet to take a call on the prospective dates for the by-elections.

The Gwalior-Chambal region has a significant BSP presence. In the 2018 assembly elections, BSP candidates were placed second on most seats here. The party has decided to field Sonaram Kushwaha from Jaura , Ram Prakash Rajoria (Morena), Bhanu Pratap Singh Sakhwar (Ambah), Yogesh Meghsingh Narwaria (Mehgaon), Jaswant Patwari (Gohad) , Santosh Goud (Dabra), Kailash Kushwaha (Pohri) and Rajendra Jatav from Karaira seat.

With Jyotiraditya Scindia moving away from the Congress, the BSP could win some seats or end up helping the BJP.

The BSP claims it won decisive votes in 15 seats of Gwalior-Chambal in the 2018 assembly elections. Its candidates finished second on two seats, while on 13 seats BSP candidates got between 15000 and 40000 votes.

Among the seats going to the polls in the Gwalior-Chambal region, the BSP has in the past registered victories in Mehgaon, Jaura, Sumawali, Morena, Dimani, Ambah, Bhander, Karaira and Ashoknagar. Its presence in Gwalior, Gwalior East and Mungaoli significantly influenced the results. The BSP's presence was a major reason for the BJP's defeat in 2018.