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Journalism of Courage
Chhattisgarh Assembly Election Results 2023: In a big setback to the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh, nine of its ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo, lost their seats in the poll results declared on Sunday. Singh Deo fell short by 94 votes to Rajesh Agrawal of the BJP.
While several BJP leaders made a comeback, a surprise victory for BJP was that of Ishwar Sahu, a farmer who was given a ticket by BJP as a “symbol of justice” after his son was killed in a communal incident in Bemetara district this year. Sahu defeated seven-time MLA and minister Ravindra Choubey.
Besides Singh Deo and Choubey, other ministers who couldn’t make it through are: Mohammad Akbar, Tamradhwaj Sahu (home minister), Amarjeet Bhagat, Shiv Kumar Dahariya, Guru Rudra Kumar, Mohan Markam and Jaisingh Agrawal. Another major loss is of the new Pradesh Congress Committee chief (PCC) Deepak Baij, a Lok Sabha member, who lost from Chitrakote. Incidentally, Baij had won the seat in 2018 but vacated it to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Akbar, a four-time MLA, who had won Kawardha seat by a record margin of over 59,000 votes, lost to Vijay Sharma of the BJP, one of the prime accused in the 2021 communal violence in Kawardha. Sharma won by 39,592 votes.
Another surprise win was that of a former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan, Ramkumar Toppo, who defeated minister Amarjeet Bhagat from Sitapur, a seat that the Congress lost for the first time since the state’s formation in 2003. Similarly, Congress lost the Pali Tanakhar seat for the first time since 2003 to Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP).
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel defeated his nephew and Lok Sabha member Vijay Baghel for a third time, winning the Patan seat for the sixth time. Minister Umesh Patel won the Kharsia seat and minister Kawasi Lakma won Konta, the seats which Congress has never lost since 2003. Only woman minister of Congress, Anila Bhendia, retained her Dondi Lohara seat emphatically.
Also, Speaker Charan Das Mahant retained his Sakti seat. MLA Devendra Yadav, who was chargesheeted in the coal levy case by the ED, too, won by a slim margin of 1,264 votes.
Among the big winners for the BJP are former three-time Chief Minister Raman Singh who won by 45,084 votes. Among the four Lok Sabha members from BJP who contested the Assembly elections, except for Vijay Baghel, the other three won. These are Union Minister Renuka Singh, Gomati Sai, and Arun Sao who is also the BJP in-charge in Chhattisgarh. However, BJP’s leader of opposition Narayan Chandel lost from Janjgir Champa seat.
Two former IAS officers, O P Choudhary and Neelkant Tekam, won their seats, Raigarh and Keshkal, respectively. The only tribal Christian candidate, Prabodh Minj, won the Lundra seat.
In naxal-affected Dantewada, BJP leader Chaitram Atami won against Chavindra who is the son of Mahendra Karma, a big Congress leader killed in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack. Atami was once considered close to Mahendra Karma.
Another BJP leader Brijmohan Agrawal won the election for the eighth consecutive time. Among the former ministers of the BJP who made a comeback are Vishnu Deo Sai, Ram Vichar Netam, Kedar Kashyap, Lata Usendi, Bhaiya Lal Rajwade, Vikram Usendi, Rajesh Munat, Dayaldas Baghel and Amar Agrawal.
