Raipur Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

One of the 11 parliamentary constituencies in Chhattisgarh, Raipur Lok Sabha constituency will go to polls in the third phase of general elections on April 23. The Raipur Lok Sabha constituency in Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh covers districts of Raipur and Baloda Bazar.

Ramesh Bais of the BJP who won from here for the first time in 1989 has represented Raipur in Lok Sabha seven times. Since his first win in 1989, he only lost to Vidya Charan Shukla of the Congress 1991 and is currently the sitting MP. In 2014, he defeated Satya Narayan Sharma alias Sattu Bhaiya of the Congress by more than 1.7 lakh votes. 

He has, however, been denied ticket by the BJP this time following the party Centre Election Committee's (CEC) decision to not repeat candidates in any of the 11 seats in the state. 

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has fielded Sunil Soni who is facing Pramod Dubey of the Congress. 

The seat is one of the strongholds of the BJP in the state, thanks to Ramesh Bais whose name has become synonymous with the Raipur Lok Sabha constituency.

Raipur Lok Sabha constituency comprises eight legislative assembly segments: Baloda Bazar and Bhatapara in Baloda Bazar district; Dharsiwa, Raipur Rural, Raipur City West, Raipur City North, Raipur City South, Arang (SC) and Abhanpur in Raipur district.

The Congress hopes to retain the seat in 2019 after its impressive show in Assembly elections last year. The Congress won 68 seats in 90-member Legislative Assembly. 

The polling on this seat will be held during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 23. Seven constituencies of Chhattisgarh's 11 Lok Sabha seats - Surguja, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Korba, Bilaspur, Durg and Raipur- will go to polls in the third phase. The counting of votes of the Lok Sabha election 2019 will be conducted on May 23.