Twitter
Advertisement

Assembly Elections 2018: Chhattisgarh bubbles with political anxiety as Phase-2 voting begins

As many as 72 constituencies of the 90-seat assembly of Chhattisgarh are going to polls today — on the second phase of state polls

Latest News
article-main
Poll officials collect election material at a distribution centre a day before the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections, in Raipur on Monday
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The second phase of polling in the 90-seat Assembly of Chhattisgarh began on Tuesday amid tight security. Although the problematic portion of Bastar region and Rajnandgaon has witnessed largely peaceful polling with over 70% voter turnout on 12 November, security agencies and the Election Commission of India is not taking any chances in the remainder of this small but heavily Naxal-infested state.

As many as 72 constituencies go to polls, testing electoral fortunes of a large number of important candidates. These include state ministers Brijmohan Agarwal, Amar Agarwal, Rajesh Munat, as well as Congress state chief Bhupesh Baghel, leader of Opposition TS Baba, who is the richest candidate of the state, and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) architect Ajit Jogi and his doctor wife Renu among many other prominent candidates. Close to 240 candidates are in the fray for the second phase of polling.

This second and final phase will conclusively decide who is going rule Chhattisgarh for the next five years. Voters of Raipur division, Bilaspur division, Durg-Bhilai industrial belt and Surguja tribal region would be using their franchise on Tuesday.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has entered the fray in a big way by joining hands with the former Congress chief minister Jogi's two-year old outfit JCC, will be flexing its muscle as a number of Scheduled Caste seats are set to see election in Janjgir Champa and other parts of Bilaspur division — said to be a citadel of the scheduled castes.

According to political analysts, the BJP and Conress together lost as many as 20-22 seats in 2013 polls due to the presence of BSP-CPI combine which had pocketed close to 38 per cent vote share. "The BSP may not have been able to win on its own but it turned out to be a spoiler in the game," said a former bureaucrat. Since the new alliance of JCC and BSP along with CPI ( minuscule presence) is complicating matters for both the BJP and Congress, this second phase is being fought keenly by both the major parties.

Although Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh's Rajnandgaon constituency saw voting last week, his prestige is also at stake in Tuesday's polling, as well as that of former chief minister Ajit Jogi.

The part of Chhattisgarh which is going to poll in the second phase behaves a little differently than Bastar. In Bastar belt, Jogi's JCC did not have much at stake but this region offers him high hopes —mainly the Bilaspur region with close to 30 seats.

SECOND & FINAL PHASE OF POLLS TODAY

  • As many as 72 constituencies of the 90-seat assembly of Chhattisgarh are going to polls today — on the second phase of state polls. 
     
  • Ministers Brijmohan Agarwal, Amar Agarwal, Rajesh Munat, Cong state chief Bhupesh Baghel, TS Baba, JCC chief Ajit Jogi are in the fray.
Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement