Raipur (Chhattisgarh): The initial trends in Chhattisgarh show that the ruling Congress Party is leading on six assembly seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party leads on five as the counting of votes proceeds, as per the trends issued by Election Commission of India.
As per the ECI data, Congress candidates Phoolsingh Rathiya of Rampur assembly constituency, Umesh Patel of Kharsia, Janak Dhruw of Bindranawagarh, Ashish Chhabra of Bemetara and Aditya Raj of Manendragarh are leading in early trends.
BJP's Kedar Kashyap is leading from Narayanpur assembly constituency as per the ECI data. The halfway mark for the 90-member assembly of Chhattisgarh is 46.
The results of assembly polls in four states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana- are being considered as the semifinal before the Lok Sabha polls which are scheduled for 2024. A total of 1,181 candidates contested seeking a mandate to the 90-member assembly.
As per the Election Commission of India, 90 returning officers, 416 assistant returning officers, 4596 enumerators, and 1699 micro-observers have been appointed for the counting process. The ECI has also appointed 90 counting observers for the 90 assembly constituencies.
The polling in the state was held in two phases. The first phase was held in 20 constituencies on November 7 with 223 candidates in the contest while the polling in the remaining constituencies with 958 candidates were held in the second phase on November 17.
The voter turnout for both phases combined was 76.31 per cent, slightly lower than the 2018 polls. In the first phase, 78 per cent of voter turnout was recorded and in the second phase, it was 75.88 per cent.
The four main contenders in the Chhattisgarh Elections 2023 are the BJP, Congress, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Other regional outfits like the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), Hamar Raj Party (HRP) and the Left parties are also in the contest.
