Chhattisgarh elections: 294 candidates file 455 nominations for first phase

RAIPUR: As Chhattisgarh gears up for its upcoming legislative assembly elections, a significant number of candidates have submitted their nominations for the first phase of polling, scheduled for November seven.
A total of 294 candidates have filed a whopping 455 nomination papers for the 20 assembly constituencies that will go to the polls in this initial phase, according to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Raipur.
The nomination filing process witnessed a surge in the final day rush, with 254 nominations submitted on Friday alone. This brought the total number of nominations filed till the previous day to 201, indicating strong last-minute participation.
Rajnandgaon, a constituency that has been a stronghold for former Chief Minister Raman Singh, saw the highest number of nominations filed with 45 candidates vying for the seat. Raman Singh himself is contesting from this constituency in the upcoming elections. Similarly, the Kawardha constituency received 44 nominations, while 31 nominations were filed for the Bhanupratappur (ST) constituency, and 25 for Antagarh (ST). Jagdalpur and Dantewada (ST) received 24 nominations each. In contrast, the constituencies of Bastar (ST), Keshkal (ST), and Kanker (ST) had the lowest number of nominations, with each receiving 15 nomination papers.
In terms of candidate participation, the Rajnandgaon constituency attracted the most attention with 41 candidates filing their nomination papers. Conversely, the Bastar seat saw the lowest participation with only eight nomination papers submitted.
The 20 constituencies set for the first phase of polling on November 7 include Pandaria, Kawardha, Khairagarh, Dongargarh (SC), Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Mohala-Manpur (ST), Antagarh (ST), Bhanupratappur (ST), Kanker (ST), Keshkal (ST), Kondagaon (ST), Narayanpur (ST), Bastar (ST), Jagdalpur, Chitrakot (ST), Dantewada (ST), Bijapur (ST), and Konta (ST).
Meanwhile, preparations for the second phase of elections are also underway. Notification for the 70 legislative assembly constituencies involved in the second phase will be issued on Saturday. These 70 constituencies are scheduled for polling on November 17. As part of this process, candidates can submit their nomination papers until October 30. The scrutiny of nomination papers for the second phase will occur on October 31, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until November 2. The counting for both the first and second phases will take place on December 3.