Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023: Former CM Dr Raman Singh is leading in Rajnandgaon whereas Congress' Girish Dewangan is trailing in the constituency at present, as per early trends. The high-profile Rajnandgaon constituency in Chhattisgarh will see a contest between former Chief Minister Raman Singh and Congress leader Girish Dewangan. This is a high-stakes election for Dr Singh as he looks to make a comeback as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.
Rajnandgaon constituency is considered to be Dr Raman Singh’s stronghold as he has been elected from the constituency for three consecutive terms. In the 2018 Chhattisgarh elections, Dr Raman Singh won from the constituency after he secured 80,589 votes and a vote percentage of 51.7 per cent. Dr Singh secured 86,797 votes and a vote percentage of 58.4 per cent in 2013.
He managed to secure 77,230 votes and a vote percentage of 59.4 per cent in the 2008 Assembly elections. During his tenure as the Chief Minister, notable business projects were constructed in the constituency including medical college hospital, international Astroturf hockey stadium, flyover and the Mongra Barrage.
The constituency has also witnessed its fair share of turmoil under Singh’s tenure with an incident involving Naxalites leading to the martyrdom of 29 soldiers. The Congress party has fielded Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Chairman Girish Dewangan to fight against Dr Raman Singh in Rajnandgaon. Dewangan was last in the news earlier this year when premises linked to him were searched by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a coal levy money laundering case.
This constituency, which has a total of 1,98,000 voters, is dominated by urban voters and has a higher number of female voters. Most of the voters in this constituency are engaged in agriculture and trade. Rajnandgaon’s voter base also includes urban voters and job-seekers. The constituency has also been homes to important political figures in the state including Shaheed Uday Mudliyar and Parmanand Rajak.
What happened in 2018 Chhattisgarh polls?
The Congress secured a landslide majority by winning 68 seats in the 90-member House and formed the government under the leadership of Bhupesh Baghel. The BJP, however, was reduced to 15 seats whereas the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the Bahujan Samaj Party bagged 5 and 2 seats respectively.