Chhattisgarh exit poll highlights: Projections show advantage Congress

The Election Commission cracked its whip on several occasions to ensure a level playing field for all parties in the five states where assembly polls were held even as authorities seized freebies, drugs, cash and liquor worth over ₹2,000 crore aimed at alluring voters.

Elections were held in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana between November 7-November 30 and the counting of votes would take place on December 3.

Acting on complaints and inputs by the local poll machinery, the EC issued show cause notices and advisories to top politicians to adhere to the provisions of the model code.

On exit poll predictions, BJP leader Santosh Pandey tells news agency ANI,"Rest assured that the BJP will form the government with an absolute majority in the state. The counting of votes on December 3 will put all speculations at rest."

While exit polls are predicting a close fight between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Chhattisgarh, both Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM Raman Singh on Thursday predicted thumping wins for their parties. Deep dive

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel told PTI he is confident of the Congress forming government with a 'handsome majority. “Are the numbers consistent in the seven exit polls? After two days, the numbers quoted in these exit-poll projections will stabilise and settle. Regardless of the exit-poll projections, we are confident of forming the government in Chhattisgarh with a handsome majority,” he said.

Chhattisgarh deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo on Thursday said he takes exit polls results with a pinch of salt and the Congress will retain power in the state. The party high command's choice for the chief minister's post would be acceptable to all, he told PTI in Delhi.

"BJP will win on 52-55 seats and form a government in Chhattisgarh," says former chief minister Raman Singh.

Chhattisgarh BJP chief Arun Sao exudes confidence of BJP forming government in state. "These exit polls are based on a limited sample. I have been visiting places across the state and meeting people for the last 1.5 years. Because of PM Modi's guarantee and Congress government's failures, I can say that BJP will form government in Chhattisgarh," Sao told PTI after exit poll projections predicted a neck-and-neck fight in the state.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel tells ANI,"We had set a target of getting 75 seats and we will remain close to that figure..."

Chhattisgarh exit poll results 2023 LIVE updates: The TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat predicted close contest in Chhattisgarh

Here are the predictions.

BJP 35-45

INC 40-50

OTH 0-3

Chhattisgarh exit poll results 2023 LIVE updates: Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo predicts Congress will get 60 seats. “It is a matter of satisfaction that projections are showing Congress ahead and I believe Congress will get around 60 seats...The decision on CM will be taken by the Congress high command. Whatever they decide, we will accept,” Deo told ANI.

Chhattisgarh exit poll results 2023 LIVE updates: Republic-Matrize exit poll projections have showed that the Congress is likely to win 44-52 seats. The BJP is predicted to bag 34-42 seats.

Chhattisgarh exit poll results 2023 LIVE updates: Today's Chanakya- News24 projections point to Congress winning 57 seats against BJP's tally of 33.

Chhattisgarh exit poll results 2023 LIVE updates: Times Now-ETG Research predicts advantage Congress in Chhattisgarh. As per the exit poll projections, the grand old party is predicted to win 48-56 seats. The BJP is likely to win 32-40 seats while others may bag 2-4 seats.

Chhattisgarh Exit Poll live Updates: Here is a consolidated list of exit poll projections of all the five states that voted this month.

The Congress party is likely to edge out BJP in Chhattisgarh in a neck-and-neck electoral contest, early exit polls predictions said. The party had scored a landslide victory in 2018, winning 68 of the 90 seats in the state's assembly. Deep dive

The Jan Ki Baat exit poll predicts advantage Congress with 42-53 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party is predicted to bag 34-45 seats.

The ABP-CVoter exit poll has predicted the Congress securing a majority by winning 47 seats in a tight contest with BJP. The saffron party is projected to win 42 seats.

The TV5 News Exit Poll has predicted the Congress sweeping the polls by winning 54-66 seats. The BJP is predicted to win 29-39 seats.

The India Today-Axis My India exit poll has predicted Cong to bag 40-50 seats against BJP's 36-46 seats. The other parties predicted to bag 1-5 seats in a tight contest.

The last elections were held in Chhattisgarh on November 12 and 20 in 2018. The counting of votes was held on December 11 that year.

Bhupesh Baghel, hailing from the Kurmi (OBC) community that comprises 14 per cent of the state's population, is the chief minister since 2018. He took over as the state Congress chief in October 2014, nearly a year-and-a-half after the Maoist attack in in May, 2013, in which many of the party’s senior leaders were killed.

He was first elected as a legislator from Patan in 1993 and then consecutively in 1998 and 2003 from the same constituency.

In the 2008 assembly polls, he lost to BJP’s Vijay Baghel, following which he was given a ticket from Raipur for the 2009 Lok Sabha election, which he also lost to the saffron party’s Ramesh Bais.

But he bounced back in the state in 2013 by winning from Patan assembly seat and again emerging victorious from the same seat in the 2018 polls.

The 2018 assembly elections witnessed a Congress sweep with 68 out of 90 seats in the Chhattisgarh assembly. The grand old party secured a vote share of 43.04 per cent. The BJP, that was then ruling the state, bagged 15 seats with a vote share of 32.97 per cent. Mayawati's BSP won two seats with a vote share of 3.87 per cent. The Janta Congress Chhattisgarh won five seats with a vote share of 7.61 per cent.

The 2010s witnessed the rise of Maoism in Chhattisgarh, not to forget the 2010 Dantewada attack in which 76 Central Reserve Police Force personnel lost their lives.

On May 25, 2013, a convoy of state Congress leaders was ambushed by Maoists in Bastar district. At least 27 people including state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, party leader Mahendra Karma and former MLA Uday Mudaliyar were killed in the attack. Veteran Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries in the hospital later.

The BJP won that election with 49 seats, and the Congress secured 39.

Madhya Pradesh was divided in 2000 leading to the creation of Chhattisgarh. Out of the 90 seats that went to the new state, the Congress had 48 MLAs. Ajit Jogi, a former Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer who joined Congress in 1986, was elected chief minister.

But the Congress paid the price of purported infighting and lost the 2003 assembly election to the BJP. Raman Singh was sworn in as the chief minister and remained in office till 2018.

The 2018 assembly election witnessed the Congress secure a landslide win as it clinched 68 seats, reducing the then ruling BJP to mere 15 seats. Baghel was chosen to lead the state.

According to the Chhattisgarh assembly website, the 90-member house is led by the Congress with 71 seats. Principal opposition BJP has 13 members. The Janta Congress Chhattisgarh has three legislators while Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has one member. One seat is lying vacant.