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Because the 25 constituencies in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur division go to polls on Friday, multipolar contests could possibly be a deciding issue for the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Occasion in a area that sends almost a 3rd of the MLAs to the 90-member state meeting.
IMAGE: BJP president JP Nadda addresses the gang in the course of the roadshow forward of second section of Chhattisgarh meeting elections, at Bilha, in Bilaspur, November 7, 2023. {Photograph}: ANI Picture
Among the many 5 administrative divisions of the state, the Bilaspur division is situated within the central area.
Marwahi, the home-turf of late Ajit Jogi, the primary chief minister of the state, lies within the area and his household nonetheless holds sway within the space.
The division consists of eight districts: Raigarh, Korba, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa, Sakti, Mungeli, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh and Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi.
Out of the 25 seats, 5 seats every are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.
Rampur, Pali-Tanakhar, Lailunga, Dharamjaigarh and Marwahi are ST seats, whereas Sarangarh, Bilaigarh, Pamgarh, Mungeli and Masturi seats are reserved for SC candidates.
This was the one division which the Congress didn’t sweep in 2018, whereas the BJP, which confronted a rout elsewhere, gained almost half of its statewide tally on this area.
The division had 24 seats in 2018, of which the Congress gained 12 whereas the BJP gained seven.
The Bahujan Samaj Occasion gained two and the then Ajit Jogi-led Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi bagged three seats.
After the brand new district of Sarangarh-Bilaigarh was created, the Bilaigarh seat, earlier within the Raipur division, was included within the Bilaspur division. Bilaigarh had been gained by the Congress in 2018.
The area can be recognized to have affect of the household of Ajit Jogi. Within the 2018 meeting polls, Ajit Jogi secured greater than 49 per cent votes in Marwahi constituency whereas his spouse Renu gained from Kota.
Renu Jogi is contesting from Kota this time too.
The BSP, which was within the second spot in two seats in 2018, has entered into an alliance with the Gondwana Ganatantra Occasion this time.
The Aam Aadmi Occasion can be within the fray. Each the BJP and the Congress, nonetheless, declare that the presence of those smaller events wouldn’t have an effect on the outcomes and the competition will probably be bipolar.
“Nearly 95 per cent of leaders of the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi have joined the Congress,” famous Congress MLA Shailesh Pandey.
Pandey, the incumbent MLA from Bilaspur, is going through the BJP’s Amar Agrawal, a four-time MLA and former minister. Pandey had defeated Agrawal in 2018.
Sushil Anand Shukla, chairman of the media cell of the state Congress mentioned the BSP is not going to damage his occasion’s prospects prefer it did in 2018.
Chhattisgarh BJP chief and Bilaspur MP Arun Sao mentioned the competition within the Bilaspur area will probably be bipolar.
Each the BJP and Congress deployed their high weapons for campaigning within the Bilaspur division this time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held rallies within the area.
Sao claimed that as per inner surveys, the saffron occasion might win 20 of the 25 seats. Sao, who’s himself within the fray from Lormi, mentioned the occasion has fielded each contemporary faces in addition to senior leaders from the division.
Chief of Opposition Narayan Chandel (Janjgir-Champa seat), former IAS officer O P Chaudhary (Raigarh), two family members of BJP stalwart late Dilip Singh Judev — Sanyogita Judev (Chandrapur) and Prabal Pratap Singh Judev (Kota) — are amongst different key BJP candidates on this division.
On the Congress’s half, it’s conscious that it had not carried out too properly within the division final time.
The occasion, subsequently, did elaborate planning for campaigning within the division, mentioned Shukla.
“We gained the state with a three-fourths majority final time, however couldn’t do properly within the Bilaspur division,” Shukla informed PTI.
Prime leaders like Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra aggressively campaigned within the area this time, he identified.
The area can be a outstanding agricultural belt, and procurement of paddy at Rs 2,600 per quintal by the Congress authorities within the final 5 years and its NYAY scheme for farmers will assist the occasion within the polls, Shukla mentioned.
The Congress has promised to hike the paddy procurement fee to Rs 3,200 per quintal and waive agricultural loans if it retains energy. These guarantees and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s picture as a farmer-OBC chief may even assist the Congress, he mentioned.
“We’ll get well the final time’s losses,” Shukla asserted.
Meeting Speaker Charandas Mahant (Sakti seat) and state ministers Umesh Patel (Kharsia) and Jaisingh Agrawal (Korba) are amongst outstanding candidates from the ruling occasion on this division.
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