Chhattisgarh: Assembly elections
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
2013, 2018
The results
From: [From the archives, Oct 10, 2023: The Times of India]
See graphic:
The results of the elections to the Legislature Assembly in Chhattisgarh in 2013, 2018
2018
The results
Comparisons with the 2013 assembly elections
From: December 12, 1018: The Times of India
See graphic:
The results of the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, 2018
Comparisons with the 2013 assembly elections
BJP lost wherever more women voted
Women voters in Chhattisgarh seem to have drifted away from BJP. None of the ruling party candidates could win from 23 constituencies where turnout of female voters was higher than males.
Congress won by impressive margins in 20 out of these 23 seats, while the remaining three seats went to candidates of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh-BSP alliance. It is believed that Congress won maximum number of seats in these constituencies because it had promised a ban on liquor in its election manifesto.
The highest turnout of female voters was reported from Kharsia constituency where former IAS officer OP Choudhary contested his maiden polls on BJP’s ticket. Choudhary lost to the sitting Congress legislator Umesh Patel by a margin of 16,967 votes in the constituency which saw around 86.88% turnout among women voters.
Dharamjaigarh (ST) constituency — with the second highest turnout of women voters at 85.91% — also saw Congress retaining the seat. MLA Laljeet Singh Rathia defeated his BJP rival Leenav Birju Rathia by an impressive margin of 40,335 votes.
Similarly, Congress retained eight more assembly seats, including Ramanujganj (ST), Korba, Raipur City Gramin, Sanjari Balod, Dondi Lohara (ST), Gunderdehi, Dongargaon and Khujji where women voters outnumbered men. The party also wrested Lailunga (ST), which saw the fourth highest turnout of women at 84.77%, from BJP with the victory of Chakradhar Singh Sidar.
Why the Congress won
Joseph John & Rashmi Drolia, Not Raman, It’s The Rahul Effect, December 12, 2018: The Times of India
From: Joseph John & Rashmi Drolia, Not Raman, It’s The Rahul Effect, December 12, 2018: The Times of India
Promises of farm loan waiver, MSP hike work
A Congress cyclone swept Chhattisgarh, with trends showing the party heading for a massive victory after being in the wilderness for 15 long years. It looks set for a threefourths majority, giving the once mighty BJP its worst drubbing ever.
At 11pm, Congress was en route to winning 68 seats, more than the number BJP chief Amit Shah had predicted for the BJP in the state (65).
BJP was reduced to a humiliating 16 seats, its hope that the Ajit Jogi-led alliance of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh, BSP and CPI would lead to a division of opposition votes dashed. Even outgoing chief minister Raman Singh had to fight tooth and nail against Congress’ Karuna Shukla, and at 9.30pm it looked like his victory margin — if he wins — would drop by half.
Accepting defeat, Singh said, “I am thankful that people elected us for 15 years, and made me the chief minister. BJP fought the election under my leadership and I take moral responsibility for the defeat.”
Congress national general secretary P L Punia, who worked tirelessly with PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel to revive the party, called it a “historic win”. “It has reaffirmed the faith that money, liquor and other allurements cannot overcome people’s will. People have chosen Congress and today’s victory sends out a message that democracy wins in this country,” he said.
Voters cutting across regions dominated by tribals, Scheduled Castes and farmers swung overwhelmingly towards Congress. The ruling party was routed even in state capital Raipur, considered a BJP stronghold, with only senior minister Brijmohan Agrawal leading by15,000 votes.
The Maoist-affected tribal Bastar region in the south, and tribal areas in the north, not only stood with Congress, as in the past, but also swept away sitting BJP legislators.
Farmer-dominated constituencies overwhelmingly favoured Congress, attracted by AICC chief Rahul Gandhi’s promise of a farm loan waiver within 10 days, cutting power bills by half and hiking the paddy MSP to Rs 2,500. In contrast to Congress’ specific promises, BJP’s manifesto was vague about its plans for farmers.
In the rural belt of the central plains, a major paddy area, Congress was leading in 37 constituencies, the Janata Congress-BSP alliance in seven and BJP in 13. “Undoubtedly Congress’s manifesto attracted farmers but as the MSP is decided by the Centre and is Rs 1,750 for this year, we want to know whether Congress will pay Rs 2,500 in the on-going paddy procurement. If the promise is not fulfilled, it can definitely boomerang on the party,” said BJP spokesperson Gauri Shankar Shrivas.
A majority of senior ministers lost the elections as BJP crumbled under anti-incumbency against its 15-year rule. The trend was clear from very early in the day, with even the postal ballots going against the BJP.
2023
Dec 4, 2023: The Indian Express
In a huge turnaround from 2018, the BJP pulled off a victory ousting the ruling Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel. The BJP had crossed the halfway mark by winning 54 seats, according to the last update on the Election Commission’s website. The two tribal dominated divisions of Surguja and Bastar, having 26 Assembly seats that contributed hugely to the Congress’ landslide victory in Chhattisgarh in 2018, have swung to the Bharatiya Janata Party this time. The results were in contrast to most of the Exit polls which had predicted another term for the Congress.
According to India Today-Axis My India’s early predictions, the Congress was to get 40-50 seats in Chhattisgarh, while the BJP was predicted to bag 36-46 seats, pointing to the return of the CM Bhupesh Baghel-led government. While the main fight was between bitter rivals BJP and the Congress, a three-way contest was on the cards in several seats of the Bilaspur division where former CM Ajit Jogi’s party and the BSP have pockets of influence. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP was also focusing on seats in the division.
In the 2018 Chhattisgarh elections, Congress had ended the CM Raman Singh-led BJP’s decade-long run, to come to power, as Bhupesh Baghel got the top post in the state. The Congress had won 51 of the 70 constituencies, while the BJP could bag only 13. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) had won four seats and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) two. The Congress later won one more seat in a bypoll.
Voting for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly was held in two parts on November 7 and 17. A voter turnout of 68.15 per cent was recorded in the second phase of polls for 70 constituencies on November 17 while the first phase of elections for 20 seats in the Naxal-affected state saw a high voter turnout of 78 per cent.
Chhattisgarh Election Result 2023: Check Full List of Winners
| Sr No | Constituency Name | Winners | Party |
| 1 | DONDI LOHARA (ST) | ANILA BHENDIA | Congress |
| 2 | GUNDERDEHI | KUNWER SINGH NISHAD | Congress |
| 3 | SANJARI BALOD | SANGEETA SINHA | Congress |
| 4 | BALODA BAZAR | Tank Ram Verma | BJP |
| 5 | BHATAPARA | INDRA SAO | Congress |
| 6 | BILAIGARH (SC) | KAVITA PRAN LAHREY | Congress |
| 7 | KASDOL | SANDEEP SAHU | Congress |
| 8 | RAMANUJGANJ (ST) | RAM VICHAR NETAM | BJP |
| 9 | SAMRI (ST) | UDHHESHWARI PAIKRA | BJP |
| 10 | BASTAR (ST) | BAGHEL LAKHESHWAR | Congress |
| 11 | CHITRAKOT (ST) | VINAYAK GOYAL | BJP |
| 12 | JAGDALPUR | KIRAN DEO | BJP |
| 13 | BEMETARA | DIPESH SAHU | BJP |
| 14 | NAWAGARH (SC) | DAYALDAS BAGHEL | BJP |
| 15 | SAJA | ISHWAR SAHU | BJP |
| 16 | BIJAPUR (ST) | VIKRAM MANDAVI | Congress |
| 17 | BELTARA | Sushant Shukla | BJP |
| 18 | BILASPUR | AMAR AGRAWAL | BJP |
| 19 | BILHA | Dharam Lal Kaushik | BJP |
| 20 | KOTA | ATAL SHRIVASTAVA | Congress |
| 21 | MARWAHI (ST) | PRANAV KUMAR MARPACHI | BJP |
| 22 | MASTURI (SC) | DILIP LAHARIYA | Congress |
| 23 | TAKHATPUR | DHARMJEET SINGH | BJP |
| 24 | DANTEWADA (ST) | CHAITRAM ATAMI | BJP |
| 25 | DHAMTARI | ONKAR SAHU | Congress |
| 26 | KURUD | Ajay Chandrakar | BJP |
| 27 | SIHAWA (ST) | AMBIKA MARKAM | Congress |
| 28 | AHIWARA (SC) | DOMANLAL KORSEWADA | BJP |
| 29 | BHILAI NAGAR | DEVENDRA YADAV | Congress |
| 30 | DURG CITY | Gajendra Yadav | BJP |
| 31 | DURG-RURAL | LALIT CHANDRAKAR | BJP |
| 32 | PATAN | BHUPESH BAGHEL | Congress |
| 33 | BINDRANAWAGARH (ST) | JANAK DHRUW | Congress |
| 34 | RAJIM | ROHIT SAHU | BJP |
| 35 | AKALTARA | RAGHAVENDRA KUMAR SINGH | Congress |
| 36 | CHANDRAPUR | RAMKUMAR YADAV | Congress |
| 37 | JAIJAIPUR | BALESHWAR SAHU | Congress |
| 38 | JANJGIR-CHAMPA | BYAS KASHYAP | Congress |
| 39 | PAMGARH (SC) | SHESHRAJ HARVANSH | Congress |
| 40 | SAKTI | CHARAN DAS MAHANT | Congress |
| 41 | JASHPUR (ST) | RAYMUNI BHAGAT | BJP |
| 42 | KUNKURI (ST) | VISHNU DEO SAI | BJP |
| 43 | PATHALGAON (ST) | GOMATI SAI | BJP |
| 44 | KAWARDHA | Vijay Sharma | BJP |
| 45 | PANDARIYA | BHAWNA BOHRA | BJP |
| 46 | KESHKAL (ST) | NEELKANTH TEKAM | BJP |
| 47 | KONDAGAON (ST) | LATA USENDI | BJP |
| 48 | KATGHORA | PREMCHAND PATEL | BJP |
| 49 | KORBA | LAKHANLAL DEVANGAN | BJP |
| 50 | PALI-TANAKHAR (ST) | TULESHWAR HIRA SINGH MARKAM | Gondvana Gantantra Party |
| 51 | RAMPUR (ST) | PHOOLSINGH RATHIYA | Congress |
| 52 | BAIKUNTHPUR | BHAIYA LAL RAJWADE | BJP |
| 53 | BHARATPUR-SONHAT (ST) | RENUKA SINGH SARUTA | BJP |
| 54 | MANENDRAGARH | SHYAM BIHARI JAISWAL | BJP |
| 55 | BASNA | SAMPAT AGRAWAL | BJP |
| 56 | KHALLARI | DWARIKADHISH YADAV | Congress |
| 57 | MAHASAMUND | YOGESHWAR RAJU SINHA | BJP |
| 58 | SARAIPALI (SC) | CHATURI NAND | Congress |
| 59 | LORMI | ARUN SAO | BJP |
| 60 | MUNGELI (SC) | PUNNULAL MOHLE | BJP |
| 61 | NARAYANPUR (ST) | KEDAR KASHYAP | BJP |
| 62 | DHARAMJAIGARH (ST) | LALJEET SINGH RATHIA | Congress |
| 63 | KHARSIA | UMESH PATEL | Congress |
| 64 | LAILUNGA (ST) | VIDYAWATI SIDAR | Congress |
| 65 | RAIGARH | OMPRAKASH CHOUDHARY | BJP |
| 66 | SARANGARH (SC) | UTTARI GANPAT JANGDE | Congress |
| 67 | ABHANPUR | Indra Kumar Sahu | BJP |
| 68 | ARANG (SC) | GURU KHUSHWANT SAHEB | BJP |
| 69 | DHARSIWA | Anuj Sharma | BJP |
| 70 | RAIPUR CITY NORTH | PURANDAR MISHRA | BJP |
| 71 | RAIPUR CITY SOUTH | BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL | BJP |
| 72 | RAIPUR CITY WEST | RAJESH MUNAT | BJP |
| 73 | RAIPUR RURAL | MOTILAL SAHU | BJP |
| 74 | DONGARGAON | DALESHWAR SAHU | Congress |
| 75 | DONGARGARH (SC) | HARSHITA SWAMI BAGHEL | Congress |
| 76 | KHAIRAGARH | YASHODA NILAMBER VERMA | Congress |
| 77 | KHUJJI | BHOLARAM SAHU | Congress |
| 78 | MOHLA-MANPUR (ST) | INDRASHAH MANDAVI | Congress |
| 79 | RAJNANDGAON | DR. RAMAN SINGH | BJP |
| 80 | KONTA (ST) | KAWASI LAKHMA | Congress |
| 81 | BHATGAON | LAXMI RAJWADE | BJP |
| 82 | PRATAPPUR (ST) | SHAKUNTALA SINGH PORTEY | BJP |
| 83 | PREMNAGAR | BHULAN SINGH MARABI | BJP |
| 84 | AMBIKAPUR | RAJESH AGRAWAL | BJP |
| 85 | LUNDRA (ST) | PRABODH MINZ | BJP |
| 86 | SITAPUR (ST) | POORV SAINIK RAMKUMAR TOPPO | BJP |
| 87 | ANTAGARH (ST) | VIKRAM USENDI | BJP |
| 88 | BHANUPRATAPPUR (ST) | SAVITRI MANOJ MANDAVI | Congress |
| 89 | KANKER (ST) | ASHA RAM NETAM | BJP |
| 90 | BINDRAWAGARH(ST) | JANAK DHRUW | Congress |
Details
From: [From the archives, December 4, 2023: The Times of India]
What The Baghel! BJP Wins Cong Garh
How Modi-Shah Tightened Hindi Belt, Breached Bastion
One of the early signs of BJP’s stunning triumph in Chhattisgarh on Sunday came when incumbent chief minister Bhupesh Baghel trailed for a while on his home turf of Patan. Baghel clawed back but Congress was shredded in a Modi powered sweep that nearly no one saw coming.
So, what turned the tide in a state that was seen as Congress’s safest borough, with nearly all exit polls predicting a return of the Baghel government? While an overconfident Baghel continued to be seen as a strong CM outside the state, a number of factors were quietly working to undercut his party’s advantage.
Modi’s Guarantee: PM Narendra Modi led the campaign for BJP in Chhattisgarh. All poll promises of the saffron party were packaged as “Modi’s guarantee”. Prominent among these were increasing the support price for paddy to Rs 3,100 per quintal, procurement of 21 quintals of paddy per acre, Rs 1,000 per month to married women, filling up 1.5 lakh government vacancies and constructing 18 lakh houses for the poor. Congress had made pretty much the same promises, but it’s evident that people believed the BJP more. To convey the message, BJP workers had gone door to door, even getting forms filled out for various schemes covered under ‘Modi’s guarantee’.
Three days before the first phase of voting, Modi announced that the free food grain scheme, started during the Covid pandemic, would be extended by five more years. This turned out to be a major step in securing the trust of the millions who had benefi ted from the scheme. No Counter To PM: The PM’s message carried weight and Congress’s inability to effectively counter it lent it added credibility. It turned the polls in BJP’s favour at a time when there wasn’t too much anti-incumbency in the state.
With the PM’s rallies drawing the crowds and Modi himself leading the attack against Baghel, the counterattack from Congress paled in comparison.
In the last days of the campaign, BJP’s promise of a Rs 1,000-permonth allowance to every married woman overshadowed everything delivered by the Baghel government in the last five years. Just four days before the polls, Baghel announced an allowance of Rs 1,250 for all women. By then, it was too late.
BJP Central Leadership In Control: The BJP central leadership took complete control of the all election matters, including planning, candidate selection, and electio neering under the command of Union home minister Amit Shah, who frequented the state and had overnight meetings to draw up strategies.
Taking the lead, the BJP announced its first list of 20 candidates much in advance, deployed constituency-wise strategies, and sought to tap into local issues and sentiments. One example was the fielding of the father of a youth killed in a communal clash against a senior Congress minister.
‘Corruption’ As A Core Issue: The PM and other party leaders repeatedly raised corruption as the core political issue against the Congress government. CM Bhupesh Baghel was the prime target, with the PM describing him as ‘Congress’s ATM’, and attacking him on the Mahadev app scandal, and the alleged coal levy scam and liquor scam. The BJP also built a narrative on the “PSC recruitment scam” to win over the youth. As central agencies got under his skin, jailing several of his aides including some IAS officers, Baghel stood his ground and said, “bring it on”. He perhaps underestimated the weight of the onslaught. The central agencies were on relentless crackdown mode, probing the alleged coal levy scam, liquor scam and finally the Mahadev app scandal. Day after day, Baghel seemed to be fighting on two fronts. He ultimately lost one and seems headed for a bruising battle with central agencies now.
Gains from Vote Cutting: The BJP seems to have benefited from the split of votes caused by other parties in the traditionally bipolar state. Janata Congress Chhattisgarh, founded by former CM Ajit Jogi, fielded 80 candidates and supported other candidates in 10 constituencies. AAP, Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP)-BSP alliance, and Hamar Raj Party (HRP), a political wing of Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj, also fielded candidates, forcing multi-corner contests that split votes, that bled Congress more than the BJP.
Factionalism: Congress infighting simmered under the surface and occasionally erupted into the open, as with the very public tussle between T S Singhdeo and CM Bhupesh Baghel over the top post, and the accusations of MLA Brihaspat Singh against Singhdeo, which triggered a crisis in the party. Brihaspat wasn’t given a ticket, and he made it clear that he was extremely unhappy. Congress tried to keep a lid on it, but it’s apparent that the matter had boiled over. A very public tug of war between Baghel and TS Singhdeo in the last couple of years didn’t augur well for either of them, and the Congress.
