With Chhattisgarh going to polls in two phases on November 7 (20 seats) and 17 (70 seats), parties have started gearing up for political battle. The Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh is the only state among the five that will go to polls in two phases.

The state features a 90-seat assembly owing to its small size. However, several of its high-profile seats featuring state's top politicians have managed to catch the imagination of political junkies and pundits. Here are some of them.

>Patan:

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel currently represents this rural constituency in Durg district. The Congress leader has been elected five times from this seat since 1993, only to lose in 2008 to his nephew Vijay Baghel. The BJP has once again fielded Vijay Baghel, currently Lok Sabha MP from the district.

> Rajnandgaon: This urban seat in Rajnandgaon district is currently held by three-time chief minister Raman Singh. Singh is a six-term MLA who has won this seat thrice since 2008.

> Ambikapur: This tribal-dominated seat in north Chhattisgarh is currently held by deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo. Singh Deo is a three-time MLA who won this seat for the first time in 2008.

> Konta (ST): This Scheduled Tribes-reserved seat falls in the Naxal-affected Sukma district in south Chhattisgarh. It is currently held by Industry and Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, one of the most influential tribal leaders in the state. Lakhma has won from Konta five times in a row since 1998.

> Kondagaon (ST): This seat falls in Kondagaon district in south Chhattisgarh, and is currently held by former state Congress chief Mohan Markam. He defeated the BJP’s prominent tribal woman leader and former minister Lata Usendi from here in 2013 and 2018.

> Raipur City South: An urban constituency held by the BJP’s influential leader and former minister Brijmohan Agrawal. The seven-term legislator has been unbeaten in this seat since 1990.

> Durg Rural: This rural seat in the Durg district is currently held by minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, a prominent OBC leader who is believed to have played a crucial role in mobilising Sahu voters in favour of Congress in 2018.

> Arang (SC): This semi-urban constituency in Raipur district is currently held by Urban Administration Minister Shiv Kumar Dahariya, an influential Satnami sect leader. Dahariya was first elected to Chhattisgarh assembly in 2003 from Palari, and then from Bilaigarh seat in 2008.

> Kharsia: This seat falls in the Raigarh district of north Chhattisgarh. Higher Education Minister Umesh Patel currently represents this seat which has been a Congress bastion. Nandkumar Patel had been elected from Kharsia five times.

> Janjgir-Champa: This constituency, largely inhabited by the OBC population, has a tradition of changing MLA in every election. Senior BJP leader Narayan Chandel, a Kurmi, represents this seat. He had been elected thrice from the seat thrice (1998, 2008, and 2018).

> Sakti: Speaker of the Chhattisgarh assembly Charandas Mahant, another prominent OBC leader of the Congress, represents this seat. A four-time MLA, he is also a three-term Lok Sabha MP and was a union minister of state in the UPA-II government.

> Kawardha: This seat in Kabirdham district is currently held by minister Mohammad Akbar, a prominent Muslim leader. The four-time MLA contested this seat for the first time in 2018 and won by a big margin of 59,284 votes against BJP’s Ashok Sahu.

> Saja: This adjoining constituency in Bemetara district is currently held by state agriculture minister Ravindra Choubey, an influential Brahmin leader. He is a seven-term MLA.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh Elections 2023: Corruption to tribal rights, here are issues to dominate BJP vs Congress fight

First Published:Oct 10, 2023 9:17 PM IST