In the first phase of assembly elections, 18 of the state’s 90 constituencies go to the polls – 12 from the Bastar region and six from Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. Nearly one lakh security personnel have been deployed in the Naxal-affected districts for the elections.
In 2018, a third force has emerged. Former Congress chief minister Ajit Jogi who floated his own party by the name of Janata Congress (Chhattisgarh) has allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Three-time chief minister Raman Singh’s fate will also be sealed 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.
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