Chhattisgarh Assembly Election Results 2018: Bijli-Sadak-Paani couldn’t save face of ‘popular’ Raman Singh

Marking its return to political relevance, the Congress party on Tuesday pulled off a spectacular victory in Chhattisgarh.

Though the final results are still awaited, according to latest trends, the Congress is leading in 68 seats in a 90-member Assembly, while the BJP is left to contend with a mere 16 seats.

Addressing the media after submitting his resignation to the Governor, Anandiben Patel and Raman Singh accepted responsibility for the defeat while ruling out double anti-incumbency as a possible cause for the rout of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.

Minutes later, Congress in-charge for Chhattisgarh, PL Punia congratulated party workers and leaders for the landslide win, but stopped short of spelling out the name of a possible chief minister.

Terming the pre-poll alliance between Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) as ‘unholy,’ Punia said that Congress’s victory belonged to the people of Chhattisgarh who voted against the ruling party despite its huge financial and organisational muscle.

The Congress victory, its first in Chhattisgarh since the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, resulted in celebrations at the party headquarters in Raipur, as revellers commemorated the return of the Grand Old Party to power after a 15 year interlude.

In a stark contrast, the newly-refurbished Ekatm Parisar, the BJP headquarters in the state, wore a deserted look as party workers struggled to come to terms with the verdict, marking the end of a decade-and-a-half-long tenure in office.

The results came as a shock to many who considered the Congress a non-starter in the state, and opinion polls, in the months leading up to the elections, showed no downturn in the popularity of chief minister Raman Singh.

Singh had led the BJP to consecutive victories in 2003, 2008, and 2013 elections, as his unassuming demeanor struck commonality with voters in the backward state.

A seasoned politician, Singh implemented several welfare initiatives for the poor and matched them with substantial improvements on the electorally important ‘Bijli-Sadak-Paani’ front to ensure a constant surge in his popularity graph and a virtual decimation of the main opposition — Congress.

The Congress challenge in the state was further weakened by the infamous Darbha Valley attack of May 2013, which resulted in the massacre of several of its frontline leaders and left the reigns of the party with former chief minister Ajit Jogi.

Jogi’s ouster from the party in 2016 left Congress in the hands of lesser known leaders with suspect ability to counter the popularity of Raman Singh.

In face of a Congress campaign built around long term anti-incumbency and a soft-hindutva push, the BJP banked heavily on the popularity of its chief minister, a ploy that may well have paid off but for the machinations of Jogi.
Cobbling together an alliance with the BSP, Jogi’s cameo in the current election season is largely responsible for swinging at least a part of the mandate in favour of the Congress.

Numbers firmly on his side, Punia said that the Congress legislators will soon convene to discuss the name of the new chief minister and added that the same will be conveyed to the central party leadership.

Several names including those of PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel, TS Singh Deo, Charandas Mahant, and Tamradhwaj Sahu have been doing the rounds and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is likely to approve one of these for the top post.

Though many may never have accepted the possibilities of such a prospect until a few hours ago, long-standing rivals Ajit Jogi and Raman Singh will now share the Opposition benches in a twist of political destiny.

Cards Played Wrong

• The BJP banked heavily on the popularity of its chief minister, a ploy that may well have paid off but for the machinations of Jogi 
• The saffron party faced a Congress campaign built around long term anti-incumbency and a soft-Hindutva push  
• Poor grass roots administration and increasing farm prices (MSP rates) also worked against the saffron party