2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly Election Phase I Monday Nov 12,2018

Chhattisgarh is the first of the 5 states to vote in the assembly polls. It is also the only state to vote in two phases -- November 12 and November 20,2018

8 of 27 districts of Chhattisgarh would vote on November 12,2018.The districts going to polls are: Bastar, Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's constituency Rajnandgaon goes to polls on Monday, November 12 along with 17 other assembly segments.

The Congress holds 12 of the 18 assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase in Chhattisgarh. The remaining six seats are with the BJP.
Of 18 seats going to the polls in the first phase on November 12, 12 are in the Bastar region that is considered a Maoist den and has been the scene of major attacks in recent years. Sukma, Dantewada and Bastar are the worst-hit by Maoist violence.
The Congress holds an edge in the entire Bastar region holding eight against four seats of the BJP.

• Bastar - Congress
• Dantewada - Congress
• Konta - Congress
• Bijapur - BJP
• Narayanpur - BJP
• Kondagaon - Congress
• Keshkal - Congress
• Kanker - Congress
• Bhanupratappur - Congress
• Antagarh - BJP
• Bastar - Congress
• Chitrakot - Congress
• Jagdalpur - BJP

Besides, there are six other seats in Rajnandgaon district, the home turf of Chief Minister Raman Singh. He has won the past two elections from Rajnandgaon assembly seat in Chhattisgarh. But despite Raman Singh's presence, the Congress holds four of the six seats in the district.

• Khairagarh - Congress
• Dongargaon - Congress
• Khujji - Congress
• Mohla Manpur - Congress
• Dongargarh - BJP
• Rajnandgaon - BJP

The Maoists have put out posters asking the people to boycott the elections. Sukma and Dantewada, the strongholds of the Maoists, are flooded with posters asking people to stay away from voting on November 12.

To counter the Maoist influence, the administration has sought the help of local self-help groups run by women activists. These self-help groups have been promised a waiver of five per cent on their debts if they convince people in the Maoist-affected areas to come to the polling booths and vote.

Many of these voting booths had registered less than 10 per cent votes in 2013 assembly polls in Chhattisgarh. Some of them recorded no votes at all. Their number is more than 40.

n the last assembly election in Chhattisgarh, the BJP won 49 of the 90 seats. The Congress won 39, the BSP got one while the other seat went to an Independent candidate.

The BJP hopes to win a fourth consecutive election in Chhattisgarh, while the Congress is banking on anti-incumbency sentiments to get back to power in the state.

In the second phase of voting, 72 seats will go to the polls in Chhattisgarh. The BJP and the Congress are in direct fight for power in Chhattisgarh even though former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has entered into an alliance with the BSP of Mayawati for the assembly election.

Votes would be counted on December 11 for all five states. Other states going to polls are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana.