Chhattisgarh Election 2023: 10 key seats to witness intense electoral battle

Chhattisgarh is all set to go to polls in two phases on November 7 and 17, and counting of votes will be on December 3. The state is all set to witness a tight electoral contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP. Take a look at the seats that are poised to witness an intense battle:

1. Patan Assembly Constituency:

Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel is fielded from this constituency for the Chhattisgarh elections 2023. Baghel has been elected five times from this seat since 1993. The BJP has once again fielded Vijay Baghel, currently Lok Sabha MP from Durg, from this rural constituency in Durg district, which borders capital Raipur.

2. Ambikapur Assembly Constituency:

This tribal-dominated seat in north Chhattisgarh is currently held by Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo. A scion of an erstwhile royal family, Singh Deo, a three-time MLA, won this seat for the first time in 2008. T S Singhdeo is also the richest MLA having assets of more than Rs 500 crore, according to a report released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Chhattisgarh Election Watch.

The BJP in its final and fourth list of candidates released the name of the candidate from the high-profile constituency. The saffron party has fielded former Lakhanpur Nagar Panchayat chairman Rajesh Agarwal from the seat.

3. Rajnandgaon Assembly Constituency:

This urban seat in Rajnandgaon district is currently held by three-time Chief Minister Raman Singh. A six-term MLA, Singh has won the seat thrice since 2008.

The Congress has fielded Giris Devangan, Chairman of the State Mineral Development Corporation and a trusted figure in CM Baghel’s team, as the candidate for the seat. In the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress had fielded Karuna Shukla who had quit the BJP and joined the grand old party. She lost to Singh by 16,933 votes.

4. Raipur City South Assembly Constituency:

An urban constituency held by the BJP’s influential leader and former minister Brijmohan Agrawal. A seven-term legislator, Agrawal has been unbeaten in this seat since 1990. But Congress’s Kanhaiya Agrawal, a low-profile leader, put up a tough fight in 2018, securing 60,093 votes against Brijmohan who got 77,589 votes.

Mahant Ramsundar Das, from Chhattisgarh’s Dudhadhari Temple, has been given a Congress ticket from Raipur City South Assembly constituency. In December 2021, Das had registered strong protest against the derogatory statements about Mahatma Gandhi that were made during the 2021 Dharam Sansad held in Raipur.

5. Sakti Assembly Constituency:

Speaker of the Chhattisgarh assembly Charandas Mahant, another prominent OBC leader of the Congress, and a four-term MLA is currently representing the seat. Mahant was elected from this seat for the first time in 2018. He is also a three-term Lok Sabha MP and was a Union minister of state in the UPA-II government.

The BJP has fielded Khilawan Sahu from the seat. He is the state general secretary of OBC Morcha, and had won the seat in the 2013 Chhattisgarh elections.

6. Konta (ST) Assembly Constituency:

This ST reserved seat falls in the Naxal-affected Sukma district, and is currently held by Industry and Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, one of most influential tribal leaders in the state. Lakhma has won from Konta five times in a row since 1998.

It has mostly seen a triangular contest between the Congress, BJP and Communist Party of India (CPI). While the BJP has fielded Soyam Muka, the CPI-M has given ticket to its former MLA Manish Kunjam to take on the minister, who is known for his out-of-the box style.

7. Kondagaon Assembly Constituency:

This seat falls in Kondagaon district in south Chhattisgarh. Former Congress state president Mohan Markam is now seeking re-election from the Kondagaon seat. Markam was replaced as state Congress chief in July and appointed as a minister.

He is pitted against BJP minister Lata Usendi, who was recently elevated as the BJP’s vice-president. Markam had defeated the BJP’s prominent tribal woman leader Usendi from the seat in 2013 and 2018.

8. Kharsia Assembly Constituency:

This seat falls in Raigarh district of north Chhattisgarh, dominated by the OBC community Aghariya.

A five-term MLA and Higher Education Minister Umesh Patel currently represents this seat which has been a Congress bastion. Patel was elected for the first time from this seat in 2013 following the death of his father and prominent Congress leader Nandkumar Patel in the Jhiram valley Naxal attack.

He is pitted against Mahesh Sahu from the BJP.

9. Lormi Assembly Constituency:

A potential CM candidate, the BJP has fielded Arun Sao, Lok Sabha MP from Bilaspur, for the Chhattisgarh elections. The 54-year-old leader was appointed as the state BJP president, replacing tribal leader Vishnudeo Sai. He had won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by 1.41 lakh votes, riding on the second Modi wave.

Congress’ Thaneshwar Sahu, the chairman of Chhattisgarh State Backward Classes Commission, is being fielded from the seat. The seat was won by the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC-J) in 2018.

10. Bharatpur-Sonhat Assembly Constituency:

Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Renuka Singh, 59, has been fielded from Bharatpur-Sonhat seat in the Surguja region, which was won by the Congress in 2018. A two-time MLA from the Premnagar seat in Surguja, she lost her seat in 2013. She will face sitting Congress MLA Gulab Kamro in Bharatpur-Sonhat.