Chhattisgarh Elections Phase 1 Voting LIVE Updates: Voting for 20 seats in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections began at 7:00 am on Tuesday, 7 November, with 71.80% voter turnout being recorded till 5 pm, the Election Commission of India announced.
With most of the Naxal-affected areas going up for polls – including Bastar, Dantewada, Kanker, Kawardha and Rajnandgaon – there are a total of 40,78,689 eligible voters across 20 seats.
Earlier in the day, a CRPF jawan on election duty was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast by alleged Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma. Encounters also took place in Bijapur and Kanker districts as well.
"We had won 17 seats out of 20 last time, this time we will win 18 or 19 seats," Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was quoted as saying by PTI.
Meanwhile, at a public meeting in Bishrampur, Surajpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Under the Congress rule in Surguja, human trafficking and drug business are on the rise. Our sisters and daughters are being targeted by criminals. Many girls from tribal families have gone missing."
Speaking to news agency ANI, CM Bhupesh Baghel listed the Congress' poll promises in the party's election manifesto.
"The Chhattisgarh Congress has always thought about the welfare of the poor people. I appeal to the voters to give your blessings to the party and vote for us," Baghel said.
Chhattisgarh's Excise and industry minister Kawasi Lakhma, cast his vote in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.
(Photo: The Quint)
The Congress is looking to make a comeback in the state by riding on the popularity of CM Baghel, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to put up a tough fight, as per opinion polls.
The key candidates in Phase 1 of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections are former Chief Minister Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh Minister Kawasi Lakhma from Konta, sitting MLA and former state Congress president Mohan Markam from Kondagaon, and BJP leader Vinayak Goyal from Chitrakoot.
Former Chhattisgarh CM and BJP leader Raman Singh said that the Congress will win 14 of the 20 seats polling in the first phase.
"When you exercise your rights, remember that Congress has had a trustworthy government in Chhattisgarh," Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier posted on X to congratulate first-time voters.
In 2018, the Congress won 17 of the 20 seats going to polls in the first phase while the BJP had won just two seats.
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What Next?
The remaining 70 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in the second and final phase of elections which will be held on 17 November, along with voting in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
Chhattisgarh Phase I Voting Concludes
Voting has concluded in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections 2023, which saw polling in 20 assembly seats including the 12 seats of Maoist infested Bastar region.
The approximate voter turnout in the first phase of assembly elections is around 70.87 percent (as of 5pm) with the highest voter turnout (79.10 percent) in Kanker's Bhanupratappur Assembly constituency and the lowest (40.98 percent_ in Bijapur district.
Former CM and BJP leader Raman Singh contested against Girish Dewangan a close associate of incumbent CM Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon Assembly constituency, where 74 percent voter turnout was recorded.
Congress Minister Kawasi Lakhma's Konta constituency in Sukma district saw a voter turnout out of 50.12 percent, with several incidents of Police-Maoist encounters throughout the day.
Besides Lakhma the polling day for Phase I also sealed the fate of Congress' Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar from Kawardha Assembly seat, where a voter turnout of 72.89 percent was recorded.
The Kawardha Assembly constituency is one of the hot seats in the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections as it has witnessed communal politics in the recent past.
Another hotly contested seat was Narayanpur which saw massive unrest and violence over the issue of tribals converting to Christianity. This Assembly constituency saw a voter turnout of 40.98 percent.
Voting Concludes in Naxal-Hit Kawardha
Voting has been wrapped up in most parts of Naxal-affected Kawardha in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district, according to a report by news agency PTI.
Till 5 PM, Voter Turnout Recorded at 70%
On Tuesday, 7 November, the voter turnout was recorded at 70.87% till 5 pm, the Election Commission of India announced.