In Chhattisgarh, as anticipated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the election results were overwhelmingly in their favour. Despite the Congress party's efforts, which included fielding prominent candidates such as former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, they faced another disappointing outcome, similar to the previous Lok Sabha elections.
According to the results declared by the Election Commission of India on June 4, the BJP secured victory in 10 out of the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh. The sole BJP candidate who was defeated was Saroj Pandey, who lost the Korba seat to Jyotsna Charandas Mahant of the Congress party. This overall outcome underscores the BJP's clear dominance in Chhattisgarh politics.
Constituency-wise Results :
The most striking result emerged from the Raipur constituency, where BJP leader and Chhattisgarh Cabinet Minister Brijmohan Agrawal achieved a landslide victory. Agrawal won against Vikas Upadhyay with a staggering margin of 5,75,285 votes. A prominent figure in Chhattisgarh politics, Brijmohan Agrawal has been a consistent presence, having won eight consecutive terms as an MLA since 1990.
The narrowest margin in the 2024 General Elections in Chhattisgarh was recorded in the Kanker constituency, a seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). BJP candidate Bhojraj Nag secured a victory against Congress candidate Biresh Thakur by a bare margin of 1,884 votes. The Congress party has contested this outcome, filing a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that polling officers refused their request for a recount.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel lost by over 44,000 votes to incumbent MP Santosh Pandey in Rajnandgaon. This defeat is notable as the Congress had previously outperformed the BJP in this constituency, winning five of its eight Assembly segments in the last Assembly elections.
Vijay Baghel of the Bharatiya Janata Party maintains a winning streak in the Durg Lok Sabha constituency by 4,38,226 votes, defeating Rajendra Sahu of the Indian National Congress, who received 518,271 votes. Kamlesh Jangde of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Janjgir-Champa Lok Sabha constituency with 678,199 votes, defeating Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya of the Indian National Congress, who secured 618,199 votes. Shivkumar Dahariya is a big face of the Chhattisgarh Congress as he served as Cabinet Minister in the previous Congress Government and losing the Janjgir-Champa seat is a big setback for Congress.
Chintamani Maharaj of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Surguja Lok Sabha constituency with 713,200 votes, defeating Shashi Singh Koram of the Indian National Congress, who garnered 648,378 votes. In the Raigarh constituency, BJP's Radheshyam Rathiya clinched victory by an impressive margin of 240,391 votes against Dr Menka Devi Singh of the Congress, who hails from the esteemed royal family of Sarangarh.
Mahesh Kashyap, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party, secured victory in the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency with 458,398 votes, defeating Kawasi Lakhma of the Indian National Congress, who garnered 403,153 votes. After the comeback of the BJP in the state Government, they focused on the agenda to end the problem of Maoism, and it helped them to win this constituency. In the last Loksabha election, Deepak Baij won this seat, who is currently serving as State President of the Congress party.
In the Bilaspur constituency, BJP candidate Tokhan Sahu secured victory by an impressive margin of 164,558 votes, defeating Devendra Yadav, a prominent candidate supported by Rahul Gandhi.
In Mahasamund Constituency, BJP's Roop Kumari Choudhary emerged victorious with a significant lead of 145,456 votes over Tamradhwaj Sahu, a well-known figure in Chhattisgarh politics who served as the state's Home Minister from 2018 to 2024. The loss of this seat represents a significant setback for the Congress party in the state.
A notable achievement for the Congress came in Korba, where their candidate Jyotsna Mahant successfully retained the seat. Mahant secured victory over senior BJP leader Saroj Pandey, a former member of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, by an impressive margin exceeding 43,000 votes. Korba holds significance as the stronghold of senior Congress leader Charan Das Mahant, who also happens to be Jyotsna Mahant's husband. Currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, Charan Das Mahant's influence in the region likely played a crucial role in securing victory for his wife.
“Thanks to Mahant Ji, Congress karyakartas, and family for this win. Most of my colleagues lost; we will analyze the possible reasons for this result.” - Jyotsana Mahant”
Notably, Saroj Pandey from BJP and Bhupesh Baghel along with Tamradhwaj Sahu and Devendra Yadav, all prominent leaders from the Durg district, all contested from different locations, and faced defeat against their opponents in the elections.
Factors that kept BJP ahead of Congress :
Bharatiya Janata Party introduced several new candidates and defectors from Congress. Mahesh Kashyap was a new face in Bastar, Roop Kumari Choudhary received the ticket in Mahasamund, bypassing the usual Sahu factor, and Chintamani Maharaj, who switched from Congress to BJP, contested from Surguja. Radheshyam Rathiya was fielded against Maneka Singh of the royal family in Raigarh, while Kamlesh Jangade ran against Shiv Dahria in Jajangir.
The Modi factor played a crucial role, particularly after the Congress faced a crushing defeat in the recent assembly elections. The Congress government, led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was marred by allegations of major scams and corruption, including the Mahadev App Scam, Coal Levy Scam, Liquor Scam, and PSC Scam. Modi extensively highlighted these issues during the election campaign.
Additionally, the BJP's Mahtari Vandan Yojana, which transferred Rs 1000 monthly into the accounts of around 70 lakh women, became a popular topic in every household and was emphasized by Modi in his rallies.
"It's the magic of 'Modi Ji's guarantee,' and for the third time, the NDA alliance is set to form the government. The I.N.D.I. alliance attempted to manipulate voters with false allegations of democracy in danger and BJP altering the constitution." - Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.
Impact of Modi’s Presence in Rallies:
Modi's presence had a significant impact on the election results. In Bastar, where Modi campaigned, the BJP won both the Kanker and Bastar seats. In Janjgir, despite all eight assembly seats being held by Congress, the BJP won, with Kamlesh Jangde defeating strong candidate Shiv Dahria. Similarly, Radheshyam Rathiya secured victory in Raigarh, where Modi also held a meeting.
The star campaigner for the Congress was not Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, or Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, but Bhupesh Baghel. Bhupesh Baghel led the campaign with more than 40 meetings, whereas Rahul Gandhi held only two, Priyanka Gandhi held three, and Mallikarjun Kharge held just one.
Overall, Modi's influence and the strategic focus on Congress's weaknesses played a decisive role in the BJP's success in Chhattisgarh.
In 2019, the BJP secured 9 seats, while the Congress managed to win 2 seats. In the previous election cycles of 2014, 2009, and 2004, the BJP consistently won 10 seats, whereas the Congress only won 1 seat each time. This pattern indicates a strong and steady dominance by the BJP over the past two decades.
