The Bharatiya Jananta Party (BJP) crossed the half-way mark and has won 54 seats so far in Chhatisgarh, to wrest power from Congress in what has become a stunning comeback for the saffron party, after subdued expectations till mid-morning.
Ahead of the state assembly elections, the Congress party was a divided house in Chhattisgarh but tried to iron out differences by elevating state minister T S Singh Deo, the main challenger to chief minister (CM) Bhupesh Baghel, as the deputy CM in June this year.
The BJP, on the other hand, went into the elections without a clear candidate for the post of chief minister. In the 2018 elections, Congress had ended BJP’s 15-year run to come to power, and Bhupesh Baghel became the CM.
Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel won the Patan assembly seat and defeated his distant nephew and BJP candidate Vijay Baghel by 19,723 votes. However, Baghel will no longer remain the chief minister of the state as Congress lost to the BJP in the Chhattisgarh Election 2023.
Chhatisgarh Assembly Election Results 2023: After today's poll results, these are the key candidates in the running for the next Chhatisgarh CM-
-Dr Raman Singh
The main CM face from BJP, the veteran leader is a former CM of Chhatisgarh and is one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the country. Dr Raman Singh ruled the state from 2003 to 2018.
-Vijay Baghel
A former MLA from Patan, Vijay Baghel is the nephew of outgoing CM Bhupesh Singh Baghel. He joined the BJP in 2008 and is seen as a rebel leader, who challenged his uncle's power in state politics.
-T.S Singh Deo
T.S Singh Deo, who was serving as the health minister, was appointed as the state's deputy CM in June. When Congress came to power in 2018, Deo was among the frontrunners for the chief ministerial post but was pipped by Bhupesh Baghel. There were reports of a power tussle between the two leaders.
The polling for the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections was held in two phases on 7 November and 17 November with candidates from Congress, BJP, BSP, and others in the fray. The promises made by the BJP, which it promoted as ‘Modi ki Guarantee 2023’, seemed to have worked in its favour in the tribal-dominated state.
In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had registered a landslide victory largely because of a ‘strong’ anti-incumbency against the then BJP dispensation and the grand old party’s promise of freebies and welfare measures.
In the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly, the Congress has 71 members, BJP 13, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) has three, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has two, while one seat is lying vacant. Counting of votes in elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly started at 8 am on Sunday, with security personnel maintaining a strict vigil in counting centres in the state's 33 districts, including those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Catch all the live action on Elections and get exclusive coverage on Assembly Election Results 2024 with Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.