Raipur, Nov 12 (PTI) Voting for the bypoll to the Raipur City South assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh, for which 30 candidates are in the fray along with those from main contenders BJP and Congress, will be held on Wednesday amid tight security.
The seat fell vacant after sitting BJP legislator and former state minister Brijmohan Agrawal resigned following his election to the Lok Sabha from the Raipur parliamentary constituency.
“All the preparation has been done for conducting a free and fair by-election in Raipur City South on November 13. Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm,” a poll official said here on Tuesday.
According to poll officials, there are 2,71,169 electors, including 1,33,800 male, 1,37,317 female and 52 transgenders in this constituency. A total of 253 polling booths have been set up for the bypoll and five companies of security personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order.
The counting of votes will be held on November 23.
Dispatching of polling parties for their respective booths commenced on Tuesday morning under the strict supervision of security forces, he said.
As many as 30 candidates are in the fray for the bypoll, though it is largely seen as a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
The BJP has fielded Sunil Kumar Soni, a former Raipur MP and city Mayor, while the opposition’s nominee Akash Sharma, a young face, is incumbent president of the state unit of the Youth Congress.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Brijmohan Agrawal mainly led the canvassing of BJP while former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress’ state in-charge Sachin Pilot and the party’s state unit chief Deepak Baij campaigned for the main opposition party.
At the hustings, BJP highlighted pro-women and pro-farmers measures taken by the Sai government, which included the launch of the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, under which married women beneficiaries are being provided a monthly assistance of Rs 1,000.
The Congress, during its campaign, accused BJP candidate Sunil Kumar Soni of being inactive during his tenure as MP from 2019 to 2024, and targeted the BJP government over “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state.
In the last years assembly elections, BJP had registered a landslide victory winning 54 out of the 90 seats in the state, while the Congress had won 35 and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) bagged one seat. PTI TKP NP
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