New Delhi: In the first phase of assembly elections which were held on November 12, 18 of the state’s 90 constituencies went to the polls. Of these, 12 constituencies were from the Bastar region and six from Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. Nearly one lakh security personnel were deployed in the Naxal-affected districts for the elections.
In 2018, an alternative to the BJP and Congress has emerged. Former chief minister Ajit Jogi floated his own party, the Janata Congress (Chhattisgarh), and allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Three-time chief minister Raman Singh’s fate will also be decided in the first phase. He is contesting the Rajnandgaon seat, which he has held multiple times, against the niece of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Karuna Shukla, who is contesting as a Congress candidate.