More NOTA votes than victory margins in 8 seats
Interestingly, the state assembly polls this time saw as many as eight seats, out of the total 90, where the NOTA (None Of The Above) votes exceeded the victory margins and remained the third-highest choice. In fact, it stood third in 20 assembly constituencies and received more votes than those secured by the Bahujan Samaj Party and Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi) combined. A total of 1,97,678 NOTA votes were polled, which accounts for 1.26 per cent. Deputy CM TS Singhdeo lost by a margin of 94 votes, and his Ambikapur seat got 22,168 votes in favour of NOTA.
BJP may opt for tribal face as new CM
The BJP, buoyant with assembly results, is now exploring the most suitable leader for the post of chief minister. The party fought the assembly polls in the state without citing anyone as the CM face. The BJP high command, keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the need for effective leadership in the state, has deliberated on several contenders who were prospective front-runners for the CM’s chair. According to party insiders, the state BJP may have the post of deputy chief minister this time. If the name of former CM Raman Singh is not considered, the party is likely to opt for a tribal face.
Political footprint of Jogi’s party shrinks
The regional outfit Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-J (JCC-J), floated by its first chief minister late Ajit Jogi in June 2016, is going through a tough time in an election year, witnessing an evident decline, and failing to win even a single seat in the state elections. JCC-J state president Amit Jogi and his mother Dr Renu Jogi, who was an MLA from Kota, were losers this time. Both evidently couldn’t fill the vacuum left by the former CM. The JCC-J, which often advocated the ‘Chhattisgarh First’ ideology, failed to impress the voters this time. In the 2018 assembly polls, the JCC-J won five seats, including that of Ajit Jogi from the Marwahi seat.
Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh
ejaz@newindianexpress.com