RAIPUR: The second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls on Tuesday will seal the fate of 72 seats spread across 19 of the 27 districts in the central and northern parts of the state. The first phase of polling, held on November 12, covering 18 seats across Maoist-affected regions saw an overall voter turnout of 76.28 per cent.
The second phase will decide if the BJP, that won 43 of the 72 seats in the fray in the 2013 Assembly polls, continues to be strong as the party aspires for the fourth consecutive term under the leadership of Chief Minister Raman Singh. In the outgoing assembly, the BJP has 49 seats and the Congress, out of power since 2003, has 39 seats.
Political pundits foresee a tight contest between the BJP and the Congress in a majority of the assembly segments. They also predict the possibility of a triangular fight in around a dozen constituencies with the coalition between the Ajit Jogi-led Janta Congress Chhattisgarh which has struck up an alliance with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The second phase remains equally crucial for both the BJP and the Congress.
“The JCC (J)-led alliance is likely to throw a political challenge to the BJP and the Congress in nearly a dozen seats. It is also likely to dent the BJP’s prospects in constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SCs). The BJP won 9 out of ten of these seats in 2013,” said Ashok Tomar, a political observer in the state.
The contestants of all major political parties had made last-ditch efforts to drum up support for their parties on Sunday, the last day of campaigning. As many 1.5 crore voters — over 76 lakh women and 877 members of the third gender — will exercise their franchise in the second phase. Nine BJP ministers and the president of the party’s state unit, Dharamlal Kaushik, are among those in the fray. Former CM Ajit Jogi is contesting from Marwahi.
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer said elaborate arrangements have been put in place. “Extensive security have been deployed in all sensitive and hypersensitive areas for smooth conduct of polls,” said a spokesperson of the CEO.