As the poll fever reaches its pinnacle in Chhattisgarh, candidates as well as the political pundits are keeping their fingers crossed as there are no clear favourites. After the state was created in the year 2000, both the Congress and BJP tasted power for a term each.
Following are some of the constituencies where the ballot battle could even go down to the wire.
Kota:
Kota will go to polls on November 20. Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s wife Renu Jogi will contest from the constituency. However, she will face stiff resistance from Mool Chand Khandelwal - a veteran BJP leader and an ex-minister of the undivided Madhya Pradesh. These two candidates, however, have to flex muscles in the polls with 16 other candidates from various other small and regional parties as well as independents.
Marwahi:
Congress Chief Ministerial candidate and former CM Ajit Jogi is contesting from this area. He was earlier contesting from the Mahasamund constituency. However, Ajit Jogi would face a stiff contest from Dhyan Singh Porte and Amar Singh Khusro apart from 13 other aspirants.
Rajnandgaon:
This Assembly seat’s fate can be said to be the reflection of the BJP’s fate in the state as it is being contested by the Chief Minister Raman Singh. Apart from Singh, 13 others are in the fray.
Notably, Udai Mudliyar beat BJP’s Leelaram Bhojwani in a close finish in November 2003 in Rajnandgaon by just 40 votes.
Durg:
The general category seat of Durg will see an interesting battle between Congress` Arun Vora, son of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora and the State Water Resources Minister Hemchand Yadav. Durg Urban City is a new segment that was created after fresh delimitation in Chhattisgarh. Hemchand Yadav had beaten Arun Vora in the 2003 assembly election.
Dantewada:
Here the fight is not between the Congress and BJP. Infact it will be a triangular contest among Congress, the Communist Party of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates. Congress` Leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma is in collision with the BJP`s Bhimrao Mandavi from the Dantewada district.
Bilaspur City:
In this Assembly segment, Finance Minister Amar Agarwal will fight it out with Congress` Anil Tah who has earlier lost to BJP candidate Amar Agrawal twice.
Rajim:
Congress` Amitesh Shukla, son of the late former Chief Minister Shyamacharan Shukla will take on BJP nominee Santosh Upadhyay from the Rajim seat.
Intrestingly, Amitesh lost to BJP`s Chandulal Sahu in November 2003 by over 11,000 votes.
Kanker:
This reserved seat for Scheduled Tribes is one of the 12 Naxal-affected districts of Chhattisgarh. It is witnessing a contest between BJP`s Sumitra Markole and Congress` Preeti Netam, daughter of former Union Minister Arvind Netam- both of whom are contesting an Assembly election for the first time.
