Chhattisgarh Assembly Polls: The Raipur showdowns

Electorally,Raipur is a bastion of the BJP,which holds five of the seven constituencies,as well as the Raipur Lok Sabha seat,which Ramesh Bais has won six times in the last seven elections,the last five consecutively. A look at the current stakes in the seven assembly seats,which vote November 19:

Sahu vs Sahu,3-3

Abhanpur,1.73 lakh voters

In the six elections since 1985,former PCC chief Dhanendra Sahu and Chandrashekhar Sahu,the current agriculture minister,have shared the seat three times each. Chandrashekhar won in 1985 and 1990,Dhanendra the next three times,before the former wrested it back in 2008.

The two powerful Sahus had begun their political careers as close friends before turning bitter rivals. When the minister was accused of abetting the suicide of a man in his neighbourhood some years ago,Dhanendra took up the matter. Chandrashekhar,in turn,got Dhanendra booked in what was allegedly a false case. Chandrashekhar has also seen protests from his own partymen,who claimed he had done little for the constituency and stormed the BJP headquarters in Raipur opposing his nomination.

Dhanendra belongs to the anti-Ajit Jogi camp. Former chief minister Jogi tried to show his strength against his party by holding a rally in Abhanpur a few months ago and declared support for rebel candidate Radha Krishna Tandon. Tandon,a nagar panchayat president,has been suspended from the Congress and is contesting for the Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch. A member of the Satnami SC community,the most populous group in Abhanpur after the Sahus,Tandon could dent Dhanendras votes. Chandrashkehar won last time by just 1,400 votes,so another tough fight is likely.

Scooter Chowk Raipur

RAIPURNORTH,1.65 lakh voters

They call it Scooter Chowk because a red-turbaned Sikh,Kuldip Juneja,is often found seated under a shed where a scooter is parked. Juneja was one of the only two Congress candidates who won in Raipur in 2008 and in the five years since,his major claim to fame has been the white scooter he is seen riding everywhere,even to assembly sessions. His BJP rival is a first-timer,Srichand Sundarani,a wealthy Sindhi merchant. His ticket was a surprise as the major contender was a powerful former MLA,RSS loyal and BJP state vice-president Sachhidanand Upasne. Upasnes men initially protested loudly against Sundarani,who seems to have other enemies in the party too. Juneja,though well-off himself,has carefully cultivated an aam aadmi image,and is among the better bets of the Congress to record a victory in the capital.

Bereaved wife vs CM baiter

DHARSIWA,1.78 lakh voterS

She is the wife of a slain leader but few have heard of her; even the Congress seems to have ignored her. Congress leader Yogendra Sharma was killed in the convoy attacked by Maoists in Darbha. His wife Anita is now pitted against Beverage Corporation chairperson and powerful MLA Devji Patel,a self-proclaimed Raman Singh-baiter. He figures among the top five legislators to have asked questions in the assembly,often leaving his own party embarrassed. He is seen holding dharnas against the policies of the government,and once even publicly stated that the chief ministers decisions are influenced by the coterie of his babus. Patel himself faced opposition from workers in the ground when he got his ticket,but Sharma has seen little canvassing support from her party men either.

Minister vs Greenhorn

Raipur West,2.08 lakh voters

Industry Minister Rajesh Munat is Raman Singhs closest aide and has often come to his CMs rescue when other ministers have teamed up against him. Munat,who hails from a prosperous family of merchants and is among the wealthiest people in the state,tries to keep everyone happy by distributing largesse freebies to journalists and the public,easy tenders to traders. Congress candidate Vikas Upadhyaya,in contrast,is a newcomer groomed in the NSUI and the Youth Congress. He has been the Chhattisgarh president of the NSUI and a national general secretary in the Youth Congress. But he has detractors too. He got the ticket at the cost of his mentor Pramod Dubey,who is now sulking. Munat too has upset several in the BJP and the buzz is they may spoil his party.

Minister vs Mayor

Raipur South,2.04 lakh voters

PWD Minister Brijmohan Agarwal faces Raipurs Congress mayor,Kiranmayee Nayak. Second in rank to Raman Singh,Agarwal is among the topmost electoral giants in the state. He has enjoyed an unbroken victory streak for over two decades,before and after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh,with the last two victories coming with margins around 25,000 votes. Often seen cornering Raman Singh,Agarwal is said to be ready with his résumé for the CMs post should the opportunity arise. Though a first-timer,the firebrand mayor has considerable clout,with some credit for the work she has done The two have already had a public showdown,when their supporters clashed during a TV show last week. Theirs is among the most keenly watched contests in Chhattisgarh.

MLA vs Former Minister

Raipur Rural,1.73 lakh voters

The two main contenders here had faced off in 2008 too. The BJPs Nandkumar Sahu defeated Satyanarain Sharma,a former minister and seen as a much stronger candidate,by 2,979 votes. Since then,however,Sahu has been the object of widespread criticism. His name surfaced in a land scam in the capital. His ticket was almost cancelled,but the BJP stuck with him owing to the OBC vote factor in the rural zone. Sharma maintains considerable clout while Sahu is believed to be the weakest BJP candidate from the capital.

Rebels on both sides

Arang SC ,1.76 lakh voters

Few seats are without dissent but the rebellion in this constituency is more open than in most other places. The BJP has fielded a new candidate,Naveen Markandya,and rebelling against him is former party MLA Sanjay Dheedhee,who won the seat in 2003,lost narrowly in 2008 and is now out to spoil Markandeyas prospects. A young lawyer,Markandeya comes from the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha and is banking on a clean image. His Congress rival is sitting MLA Rudra Kumar Guru,son of a former minister and member of a priestly family of Satnamis. He finds support from the community diminishing. He faces a strong rebel in Gangu Ram Baghel,a former Congressman contesting as an independent. Baghel had contested as a rebel in 2008,too,and stood third with just 5,000 votes less than Gurus.