Chhattisgarh: First phase of campaigning ends, prestigious Rajnandgaon seat heads to battle

Ahead of Chhattisgarh polls, campaigning for the first phase of elections concluded on Saturday. Chhattisgarh, which goes to poll in two phases, voting for 18 seats will be held on November 12 and the remaining 72 constituencies on November 20. Congress and BJP are going alone in polls, while Ajit Jogi led Janta Congress Chhattisgarh has formed an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Communist Party of India (CPI).

The first phase of polls will include Bastar, Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon districts. All these areas are mostly Naxal-affected segments. Rajnandgaon is the most prestigious seat for both BJP and Congress, as Chief Minister Raman Singh is sitting legislator from Rajnandgaon and Congress has fielded former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla against Raman Singh. Karuna Shukla is former BJP MLA and joined Congress in 2014. Both parties have left no stone unturned to woo voters of Rajnandgaon.

While the security issue would be a major concern for agencies and administration, which are making efforts to ensure the peaceful election in Chhattisgarh, conversely Maoists have carried two major attacks on security forces in the past 15 days. On October 30, media persons covering Chhattisgarh elections faced the attack and a cameraman and three police personnel lost their lives. As per the sources, security has beefed up in the Maoists affected areas, ahead of November 12 polls.