Artist Baljinder Singh displays a model of 'election stamp'
Credit: PTI File Photo
The Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections are approaching, and the BJP and Congress are locked in a fierce political battle to secure the state, aiming to build momentum for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year.
The Congress governs the state, having achieved a significant victory in the 2018 elections, where it secured a commanding majority in the 90-seat state assembly. In 2018, Congress won 68 seats, putting an end to the BJP's 15-year rule in Chhattisgarh, reducing the saffron party's presence to just 15 seats.
The BJP is determined to make a comeback following this significant defeat, while the Congress is focused on overcoming anti-incumbency and retaining control of the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Let's take a closer look at the constituencies that have witnessed the highest and lowest voter turnout in each of the four assembly elections held in Chhattisgarh since the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.
Lowest voter turnout
Some regions in Chhattisgarh are affected by Naxal insurgency, leading to low voter turnout. Among these regions, the Bijapur constituency in the Naxal-affected district of Dakshin Bastar Dantewada has consistently reported the lowest voter turnout in every state election.
The first elections in the state were held in 2003, and in that year, Bijapur recorded a mere 37.1% voter turnout in the constituency. This already low figure decreased further in the subsequent elections in 2008 to 29.2%. However, in the years that followed, the number of voters participating in the Bijapur constituency steadily increased.
In 2013, the voter turnout in Bijapur reached 40.7%, and in the most recent assembly elections, it saw a further rise to 46%.
Highest voter turnout
In the inaugural assembly elections in the state in 2003, the Saria constituency had the highest voter turnout, with an impressive 87.2% of registered voters exercising their right to vote.
However, in the subsequent years, the Kurud constituency, located in the central Chhattisgarh district of Dhamtari, took the lead in terms of voter turnout. In both the 2008 and 2013 elections, Kurud's voter turnout remained consistently high at around 86%. In the most recent elections, the voters of Kurud achieved an even higher turnout, reaching an impressive 87.1%.