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With hopes high in the BJP unit, the state chief in Chhattisgarh Arun Sao exuded confidence in the party forming government with a complete majority in the state.
As per the latest trends by the Election Commission of India, the Bharatiya Janata Party crossed the halfway mark in Chhattisgarh with a lead of 53 seats against the ruling party's lead of 35 seats. "The people of Chhattisgarh are going to give their blessings to the BJP. After going all around the state, we formed a belief, and on that basis, I can say that the BJP is going to form its government with a complete majority," Arun Sao said. The BJP won three successive polls in the state till 2018 and lost badly in 2018. The party is now seeking a return to power with the slogan that it created the state and will make it prosperous and betting on the Mahadev app scam against the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Apart from allegations related to the gaming app, the BJP is also targeting the Congress government over alleged corruption in job recruitment. BJP leaders have spoken of alleged scams in coal mining, the liquor trade and even the Godhan Nyay Yojana. A total of 1,181 candidates contested seeking a mandate to the 90-member assembly. The polling in the state was held in two phases. The first phase was held in 20 constituencies on November 7 with 223 candidates in the contest while the polling in the remaining constituencies with 958 candidates were held in the second phase on November 17. The voter turnout for both phases combined was 76.31 per cent, slightly lower than the 2018 polls. In the first phase, 78 per cent of voter turnout was recorded and in the second phase, it was 75.88 per cent. The four main contenders in the Chhattisgarh Elections 2023 are the BJP, Congress, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Other regional outfits like the Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), Hamar Raj Party (HRP) and the Left parties are also in the contest. The results of assembly polls in four states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana- are being considered as the semifinal before the Lok Sabha polls which are scheduled for 2024. (ANI)
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