Chhattisgarh Election Results: The contest in Chhattisgarh, which seemed to be going Congress's way till mid-morning, saw a stunning turn with the BJP making a massive comeback. The BJP which was trailing in over 25 seats won 54 seats and is all set to from government in the state. The Congress has managed to win 35 seats in the 90-member Assembly.
Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel resigned as chief minister after the party lost power to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly polls.
"I respect the mandate of the people. Congress will play a positive role in the opposition," Mr Baghel told reporters outside Raj Bhavan after submitting his resignation to Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan. He said the Congress came to power in 2018 and served the people very honestly.
The voting for Chhattisgarh's 90-seat assembly happened in two phases on November 7 and November 17 and saw voter turnout of 78 percent and 75.88 percent respectively.
Here are the Highlights of Chhattisgarh Election 2023 Results:
Known as 'chawal wale baba' for his innovative Public Distribution System schemes, Mr Singh was born in 1952 in Kawardha in undivided Madhya Pradesh to an advocate and a homemaker. He pursued Ayurveda and completed his Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from the Government Ayurveda College in Raipur in 1975.
Raman Singh was appointed the youth president of Jana Sangh's district unit in 1976 and won his first election in 1983, becoming a municipal councillor in Kawardha.
Seven short years later, he contested the Assembly elections for the first time and was elected an MLA from Kawardha. Elections were held in 1993 and Mr Singh was elected again. He faced his first loss five years later, when he was defeated by Congress' Yogeshwar Raj Singh, the scion of the Kawardha royal family.
In his 15 years as chief minister, one of Raman Singh's biggest achievements was the overhaul of the public distribution system, which earned him the sobriquet of 'chawal wale baba'. He also pushed through the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act, 2012, which was meant to provide food and nutritional security.
Bhupesh Baghel is credited with revitalising the party in the state. He not only rebuilt it from the grassroots, but also led it to victory in the 2018 elections, sweeping out the BJP that enjoyed three terms in power and their popular Chief Minister Raman Singh.
This time, Bhupesh Baghel has played one of his winning cards - Kisani - early in the match, promising loan waiver for farmers, who comprise around 90 per cent of the state's population. For them, he has also upped the minimum support price of rice, another move that has gained a lot of support. For the rural poor with economically unviable cattle, he has also crafted a programme to purchase cow dung for Rs 2/kg - an initiative giving the BJP a run for its money.
Chhattisgarh, which polled for the Assembly in two phases on November 7 and November 17, recorded 70.60 per cent voter turnout in round two. The first phase of polling, held for 20 Assembly seats, saw a turnout of 78 per cent.
Bhupesh Baghel's rule hasn't been without controversies. In a startling allegation, the Enforcement Directorate earlier this month claimed that a courier caught with over Rs 5 crore in cash told the agency that the promoters of the Mahadev betting app made payments of Rs 508 crore to Mr Baghel.
The Congress has not won consecutive elections in the same state in over two decades; the last time it successfully defended a government was Madhya Pradesh in 1993 and 1998, when Digvijaya Singh was Chief Minister and it decimated the BJP - winning 174 and 172 of 230 seats.
In Chhattisgarh, the Congress is pinning its hopes on Bhupesh Baghel for a second consecutive term. Bhupesh Baghel appears to be the man of the moment, laying down an election agenda that even the BJP is forced to respond to. The Chief Minister is credited with revitalising the party in the state and also leading it to victory in 2018, wresting power from the BJP that enjoyed three terms in power.