Voters stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their votes in Raipur in 2018.
Credit: PTI Photo
The countdown has begun for the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, scheduled for November 7. In the first fray, 20 assembly constituencies are set to witness the high-stakes contest. Let's take a closer look at the significant victories recorded in the 2018 elections to highlight the stronghold constituencies in this heavily forested state.
1. Khallari (AC 41)
Khallari, an unreserved Assembly constituency in Mahasamund District, witnessed the most significant victory for a candidate in 2018 with a substantial margin of 34.5%. Dwarikadish Yadav from the Indian National Congress secured an uncontested victory, defeating the BJP's Monika Dilip Sahu by a margin of 56,978 votes. In this year's elections, the Congress has chosen to field the same candidate, while the BJP has nominated Alka Chandrakar.
2. Rajim (AC 54)
In Rajim, an unreserved constituency located in Raipur district, the Congress secured the second-largest victory. Amitesh Shukla, the Congress candidate, who has been nominated again from this stronghold, won by a substantial margin of 34.05%, defeating Santosh Upadhyay by a margin of 58,132 votes. For this election, the BJP has put its faith in Rohit Sahu, a former JCC(J) member who is now contesting as a BJP candidate.
3. Saraipali (AC 39)
Saraipali, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency in Mahasamund District, stands as the third stronghold for the Congress, delivering a significant victory in the 2018 elections. Congress' Kismat Lal Anand defeated BJP's Shyam Tandi with a commanding margin of 33.72%, which amounted to 52,288 votes. However, this year, both parties have made changes by fielding female candidates, suggesting the possibility of a fierce contest for this seat. The Indian National Congress (INC) has nominated Chaturi Nand due to mounting pressure from within the regional committee of the party against the incumbent, Kismat Lal. Meanwhile, the BJP has put forward Sarla Kosaria as their candidate.
4. Marwahi (AC 24)
Marwahi, a Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved constituency in Bilaspur, was a stronghold of Chhattisgarh's first Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, a Congressman. He, along with his son, was expelled from the Congress in 2016 and 2017 for engaging in 'anti-party' activities. The former Chief Minister subsequently established the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCCJ) and won from the Marwahi Constituency with an impressive margin of 32.1%. BJP's Archana Porte lost by 46,462 votes. Ajit Jogi passed away within two years in 2020, and the INC's Krishna Kumar Dhruv reclaimed the seat for the party in a by-election in the same year.
In the upcoming election, the INC has maintained its candidate, Dr. KK Dhruv, while the BJP has nominated Pranav Kumar Marpachhi.
5. Gunderdehi (AC 61)
Gunderdehi, an unreserved seat in Durg district, emerged as another strong point for the Congress in the 2018 elections. The Congress candidate, Kunwer Singh Nishad, secured a resounding victory, defeating the BJP's Deepak Tarachand Sahu by a substantial margin of 30.5%, which amounted to 55,394 votes. In the 2023 elections, the INC has chosen to retain Nishad as their candidate, while the BJP has nominated Virendra Sahu, who aims to win back the seat for his party, similar to what he achieved in 2008, after which it had shifted to the INC.
Of the 20 seats going to poll on November 7, Bijapur (AC 89) and Bastar (AC 85), two ST-reserved seats proved to be big wins for Congress in 2018, with the margin of victory being 29.2% and 27.2% respectively.
Unreserved Kawardha (AC 72) and SC reserved Dongargarh (AC 74), which too are going to polls on November 7, swayed towards Congress in last election, with the margin of victory being 24.7% and 22.6% respectively.
For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the maximum winning margin in 2018 was limited to 13.6%, and the party saw a significant decline in the number of seats it won, with 15 seats in total. This was a decrease of 34 seats compared to what they achieved in 2013. It remains to be seen if the party can perform better in this election season.
The remaining 70 seats are scheduled for polls on November 17.