Second phase of polling begins in Chhattisgarh; CM Baghel among 958 in fray

While the main fight is between bitter rivals BJP and the Congress, a three-way contest is on the cards in several seats of the Bilaspur division.

Voters arrive to cast their votes for the 2nd phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, at a polling station in Dhamtari district. (Photo | PTI)

Polling began on Friday morning for the second and final phase of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, where 958 candidates, including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy CM T S Singh Deo, eight state ministers, and four members of Parliament, are in the fray for 70 seats.

Voter turnout: 37.87 per cent till 1 pm

The main battle in the state is between the Congress and the BJP. The BJP, which ruled the state continuously between 2003 and 2018, is seeking to replace the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Bahgel.

As the 25 constituencies in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur division are in the elections, the Congress and the BJP would be slugging it out in this belt which sends nearly a third of MLAs to the 90-member state assembly.

Among the five administrative divisions of the state, the Bilaspur division, located in the central region, has the highest number of 25 assembly constituencies which will play a crucial role in deciding the winner this time.

Notably, this was the only division that the Congress did not sweep in 2018, while the BJP, which faced a rout elsewhere, won nearly half of its statewide tally in this region.

A look at the constituency

• A total of 958 candidates—827 men, 130 women, and one transgender person—are contesting for 70 seats spread across 22 districts.
• While the main fight is between bitter rivals BJP and Congress, a three-way contest is on the cards in several seats of the Bilaspur division where former CM Ajit Jogi's party and the BSP have pockets of influence.
• Baghel has been contesting from his traditional Patan seat, where the BJP has fielded his distant nephew and party MP, Vijay Baghel.
• Of the 70 assembly segments up for grabs, 44 are in the general category, while 17 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and nine for Scheduled Castes.
• In the previous assembly polls in 2018, the Congress had won 51 of these 70 constituencies, while the BJP ended up with 13. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) had bagged four seats and the BSP two.
• The vote difference between the Congress and the BJP during the 2008 assembly polls was 1.75%; in 2013, it was 0.77%; and in 2018, it rose to 10.07%.

The second phase of polls which will decide the electoral fate of political heavyweights like Baghel, his deputy TS Singh Deo, eight state ministers, and four members of Parliament.

Baghel has been contesting from his traditional Patan seat, where the BJP has fielded his distant nephew and party MP Vijay Baghel.