Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023 highlights: Phase-2 polling ends in 70 seats with 67.34% voter turnout till 5 pm

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While a woman died of an unknown reason while she was standing in a queue to cast her vote at a polling booth in Kasdol assembly constituency in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, a man was killed in an elephant attack when he was heading towards a polling booth in Korea district.

The Patan seat recorded the highest voting percentage (66.87%) till 3 pm. At Patan, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is contesting against his nephew MP Vijay Baghel and JCC-J's Amit Jogi, son of first CM Ajit Jogi. Raipur rural recorded the lowest turnout at 38.2%, according to the Election Commission of India.

"Clear majority for BJP in Chhattisgarh, winning at least 52 seats," said former Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo votes in Ambikapur, warns BJP against "tampering" with mandate.

Ishwar Sahu, the labourer who lost his son in communal violence, now stands as the BJP candidate in Chhattisgarh's Saja constituency.

"I appeal to all the voters of the second phase of Chhattisgarh elections to vote in maximum numbers to elect a government that will ensure development, justice and welfare of poor by ending appeasement and corruption in the state. Your one vote will ensure Chhattisgarh's culture, tribal pride and women's safety," Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X.

People of Chhattisgarh are excitedly looking forward to change, said former Chief Minister Raman Singh.

"They (Narottam Mishra and BJP) know to talk only in such kind of a language. They try to polarise by such statements, however, their plan will not work this time," said Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel on Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra's "celebrations in Pakistan" remark. Mishra had said pressing the Lotus button will "bring happiness to India". However, "celebrations in Pakistan" will ensue if any political party other than BJP wins the ongoing state Assembly election.

Voting in 70 seats of the state Assembly is underway and voter turnout till 1 pm is 37.87%.

Collector Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure, talking about the all women team at the 201 polling booths in Raipur North said, “A unique combination is formed in our North assembly constituency that most of the polling parties are women. This initiative was brought about by women only that they’ll handle the Vidhan Sabha polling. When we started the training, there was an excitement amongst women…They are handling EVMs very smoothly.”

It is time to vote out people who put their families first and are on a mission to loot the public. Urging all voters in Chhattisgarh to exercise their right and vote for development and a bright future for Chhattisgarh," said Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on X.

"Till now, according to the news we are getting, 20–23% of the voting has been done. One important thing that we are seeing in this voting is that there's a long queue of women. And certainly, this long queue of women has given their blessings to the BJP... I will appeal to all the voters to exercise their voting rights... We can see the undercurrent in the whole of Chhattisgarh..."

Ahead of casting his vote, Chhattisgarh CM and Congress candidate from Durg assembly constituency Bhupesh Baghel said, "We are more than 75 seats...The fight here is one-sided, there is no competition..."

At least 100 out of 953 candidates contesting the second phase of the state Assembly elections have criminal cases against their names, with 56 facing serious offences of voluntarily causing hurt, cheating and criminal intimidation, says Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya said, "Congress is making the government. As our CM has said, 75 paar hoga so definitely '75 paar hoga'... Since morning, I have gone to 50 booths... Workers are filled with energy."

The last five years have seen Bhupesh Baghel outpacing the other big Congress leaders from the state: TS Singhdeo, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charandas Mahant. In 2018, Baghel was one of many contenders for the CM post against the more fancied Singhdeo and Sahu. But since then he has developed a national profile within Congress, helping in party campaigns as far away as Assam

"When I went for campaigning this time, there was a difference from the last time. That time we were in opposition, and we had to talk about our policies... This time when I went, people were only telling us, like they got half the electricity bill... Farmers are happy in Chhattisgarh... We will surely get their blessings," said CM Bhupesh Baghel's daughter Smita Baghel.

"Casting vote is the democratic right of every citizen of the country. Democracy demands that all citizens should exercise their rights and by that they decide what sort of government they want in the state and at the Centre. We have come and cast our vote...," said ​Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan.

A total of 958 candidates — 827 men, 130 women and one transgender person — are contesting for 70 seats spread across 22 districts. As many as 1,63,14,479 voters — 81,41,624 men, 81,72,171 women and 684 of third gender — are eligible to exercise their franchise.

The state recorded 19.65% voter turnout till 11 am in the second phase of voting. The results will be declared on December 3.

The state's economy has scripted a turnaround of sorts in recent years. The state that once had nearly 30 percent of its population under multidimensional poverty has reduced that figure to 16.37 percent in just five years and has kept its fiscal deficit under check. But the Congress party’s Bhupesh Bhagel-led state government is also battling accusations of failure in the proper implementation of central government schemes. Political observers are largely predicting a tight bipolar contest between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Mahadev betting app scandal has been used by BJP to attack Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel with PM Modi leading from the front. It could have an impact on urban voters. However, Baghel has also strongly pushed back alleging witchhunt. Will anti-corruption be a strong enough pitch to oust an incumbent, largely seen as a performer in keeping farmers happy?

A total of 253 candidates in the second phase of Assembly polls in the state are ’crorepatis’, with Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo topping the list with assets of more than Rs 447 crore. While there are 958 candidates in the fray for the November 17 polls, Chhattisgarh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in their report, said they had arrived at the figure of 253 after analysing details of only 953 candidates.

A peculiarity of the BJP campaign this time was that no local leader rose to take leadership at the state level of the campaign. The BJP has really struggled to identify a leader to take over from ex-CM Raman Singh. As a result, the BJP central leadership led by PM Modi has overwhelmingly steered the campaign

Chhattisgarh had closely fought elections in 2003, 2008 and 2013. The vote share difference in these three polls ranged between 0.6 and 2.5 percentage points. 2018 was an outlier as it was a huge anti-incumbency vote against 15 years of BJP rule. It is to be seen if Chhattisgarh returns to its norm of close elections or follow the template set in 2018.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and party candidate from Ambikapur TS Singh Deo said, "Congress is going to win... My priority is the betterment of individuals and families... Why are you trying to hide behind ED Ki Pallu'," he said.

Tribals from Kamar community, which is one of the seven Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), in Chhattisgarh, cast their vote in Dhamtari. The state government gave them habitat rights this year.

There is also a contest between Congress and BJP to bag the votes of the two big OBC communities: Sahus and Kurmis. CM Bhupesh Baghel is a Kurmi. In 2018, Congress's Tamradhwaj Sahu had Rahul's backing to be CM but in the end Baghel clinched the post. The killing of a Sahu youth Bhuneshwar Sahu in a communal incident and the fielding of his father Ishwar Sahu is also being watched for its impact

A voter turnout of 5.71% was recorded till 9 am in the second phase of voting in the state. The first phase held on November 7 saw a high voter turnout of 78 percent.

The central Chhattisgarh region which is also known as the plains has 56 seats going to the polls. This is the region where farm votes matter most. Bhupesh Baghel has also much goodwill riding for him among farmers thanks to record procurement levels. Recognising this, BJP has made big promises to farmers on MSP, including arrears on bonus not paid when its previous government was in office.

On Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections, BJP leader Uma Bharti said, "Today is the mega festival of democracy. People have all the rights in a democracy. I appeal to the people to come out and vote in large numbers for BJP..."

Police seized Rs 11.50 lakh in cash allegedly from the vehicle of a BJP candidate in a village in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, an official said. Former MLA Ram Dayal Uikey, the BJP nominee from Pali-Tanakhar seat in Korba district, was present in the vehicle when the cash was seized from there, the police official said.

"The atmosphere is in favour of BJP and people are seeking a change. The way this Congress government has done corruption and defrauded people in these five years, there is public anger against them," said Vijay Baghel, BJP candidate from Patan, Chhattisgarh.

State Minister and Congress candidate from Durg Rural, Tamradhwaj Sahu casts his vote at a polling booth in Durg. "In this 'mahaparv' of democracy, I appeal to everyone to cast vote in large numbers. It is the 'mahaparv' to elect good public representatives and everyone must participate in it...There is great enthusiasm in voters. Congress will get absolute majority. We are considering more than 74 seats," he said.

The trick factor is the swing belt of Bilaspur with 25 constituencies - nearly a third of the state's 90 assembly seats. This is where the battle is expected to be fierce. The Congress, which swept the 2018 elections, had failed to make much headway here, while the BJP, despite its lacklustre performance, did well.

All polling booths in an Assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur will have women shouldering the entire voting process. "For the first time in the country's democratic history, women will shoulder the entire responsibility of an electoral process in an Assembly segment. There are 201 polling stations in Raipur City North seat and all are 'Sangwari booths' where everyone from the presiding officer to the polling officer are women," the district administration said.

"I urge all the voters to exercise their franchise and encourage others to cast their votes. These Assembly polls will decide the condition and direction of Chhattisgarh. The people are certainly seeking a change and they will vote accordingly," said state BJP chief Arun Sao.
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The state CM is credited for helping Congress revive and script the end of the BJP regime of 15 years in 2018. He led Congress to an unprecedented victory in 2018, winning 68 of the 90 seats in Chhattisgarh. According to the NITI Aayog data of 2020-21, Chhattisgarh was ranked among the best performers in the field of gender equality.

Durg City – Gajendra Yadav
Durg Rural – Lalit Chandrakar
Gunderdehi – Virendra Kumar Sahu
Sanjari Balod – Rakesh Yadav
Dhamtari – Ranjana Dipendra Sahu
Kurud – Ajay Chandrakar
Bindrawagarh – ST – Govardhan Ram Manjhi
Arang – SC – Guru Khushwant Singh
Raipur City South – Brijmohan Agarwal
Raipur City North – Purandar Mishra
Raipur City West – Rajesh Munat
Raipur Rural – Motilal Sahu
Janjgir-Champa – Narayan Prasad Chandel
Bilaspur – Amar Agarwal

CM Baghel from Patan and deputy CM TS Singh Deo from Ambikapur seat, while Chhattisgarh assembly speaker Charan Das Mahant has been re-nominated from Sakti seat. Chhattisgarh Congress chief and Bastar Lok Sabha member Deepak Baij has been fielded from Chitrakot-ST seat.The ministers who have been given tickets include – Tamradhwaj Sahu (Durg rural), Amarjeet Bhagat (Sitapur- ST), Umesh Patel (Kharsia), Jai Singh Agrawal (Korba), Shivkumar Dahariya (Arang-SC), Anila Bhendia (Dondi Lohara- ST), Ravindra Choubey (Saja), Mohammad Akbar (Kawardha), Kawasi Lakhma (Konta) and Mohan Lal Markam (Kondagaon).

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Infighting and anti-incumbency are key challenges for the Congress as it seeks to repeat its 2018 performance in the Surguja division of Chhattisgarh. In 2018, the party had swept all 14 seats in the region for the first time since the formation of the state, which gave its tally a considerable boost as it went on to win 68 out of the total 90 seats and oust the BJP from power after 15 years.

Bhupesh Baghel is up against his nephew and MP Vijay Baghel and Ajit Jogi's son Amit
Other key constituencies in the second phase of polling include Ambikapur, Raipur City South, Korba, Sakti, Durg Rural, and Lormi.

Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Congress’s Ajit Jogi was its first Chief Minister. In the 2003 elections, BJP dominated the 90-member Assembly, and retained power in two consecutive polls, led by Raman Singh. In 2018, Congress trounced the BJP, ending its 15-year rule.

The first phase on November 7 saw a voter turnout of 78 per cent. While it's a Congress vs BJP fight, a three-way contest is expected in Bilaspur division where former CM Ajit Jogi’s party and the BSP have influence

Voting for the second and final phase of Chhattisgarh, comprising 70 seats, has begun. This will decide the fate of biggies such as Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, his deputy T S Singh Deo, 8 state ministers

Congress won Chhattisgarh in 2018 after 15 years of BJP rule. Chief Minister Bhagel waived approximately Rs 9000 crores of farm loans and Rs 350 crores of irrigation tax after taking charge. Bhagel this time has promised to repeat the farm loan waiver if elected.

While it is a bipolar contest between Congress and the BJP, other parties in the fray include BSP, AAP, CPI, CPI(M), Chhattisgarh Janata Congress Jogi, Hamar Raj Party, Gondwana Gantantra Party, and Johar Chhattisgarh Party.

BJP, which is not projecting any one person as its chief ministerial face, knows that countering Baghel’s stature among voters is important to cover up its lacuna at top. It has zeroed in on the Mahadev issue to puncture the CM’s attempts to turn the elections into a presidential contest.

BJP has listed coal scam, a liquor scam and the Mahadev betting app, to accuse the Congress party and CM Bhupesh Baghel of massive corruption. With respect to Mahadev app, the allegation is that there is an undue benefit they received to the tune of Rs 508 crore from Mahadev betting app promoters.

Of the 90 constituencies in the state, the second phase of voting will be held in the 70 spread in 22 districts of the state. The time of polling in all 70 constituencies is from 8 am to 5 pm, except nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Rajim district, where voting will be held from 7 am to 3 pm.

Several pollsters and survey agencies have predicted Baghel’s return, the chief minister however is not leaving anything to chance. At Baramkela in Sarangarh district, he asked the crowd if they had more trust in him or in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Baghel says the Madhadev app ‘script’ was written factoring in elections. “The story was planted. It has gaping holes and glaring discrepancies. The accused are from the BJP...People of Chhattisgarh are enjoying the drama.”

Confident of winning 75 out of 90 seats, CM Bhupesh Baghel is banking on the ‘electoral dividend’ for the work he has done for the past five years and 17 guarantees that he has promised to the voters. In 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had dislodged the BJP netting 68 out of 90.