Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel remarked on Sunday that Congress had basically decided to bet on a mix of fresh faces and experienced leaders to win all the 11 Lok Sabha polls in the State.

Baghel made the statement on his return from New Delhi to Raipur, a day after party announced five candidates for the state that goes to polls in first three phases starting from April 11. “The larger focus in on fresh faces, of course, the winnability is the key factor while picking up candidates,’’ Baghel told reporters. He added that candidates for the remaining six seats would be announced soon.

He informed that party would be working on a strategy to win all the 11 seats though Congress had bagged just one seat out of the 11 in 2014 as well as in 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Replying to BJP’s allegations that the new Congress regime has obliged Congress mouthpiece National Herald with advertisement worth Rs 50 lakh, Baghel said that the English daily is a known national newspaper and there was precedents that the previous BJP regime had provided massive financial support to its mouthpieces Panchjanya being published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Kamal Sandesh, BJP’s mouthpiece.

Baghel reiterated that law would take its own course in a massive financial irregularities allegedly masterminded by Dr. Punit Gupta, son-in-law of former chief minister Raman Singh.

An FIR was lodged against Gupta at a police station in Raipur recently for allegedly misusing his post and committing financial fraud of Rs 50 crore during his tenure as the superintendent of Raipur-based DK Super-Specialty Hospital.

A top police official said prima facie police found the allegations were very serious. Gupta has been charged under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.