Campaigning Ends for Nov 7 Polls: Cong’s Caste Census Promise in Chhattisgarh, BJP Eyes 6 Seats in Mizoram

Campaigning came to an end in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram on Sunday for the assembly elections on November 7. While it will be the first phase of polling for the Congress-ruled central state, Mizoram will witness voting in a single phase.

For the first phase in Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked chief minister Bhupesh Baghel over the alleged Mahadev online betting app scam, while other leaders of the BJP spoke on religious conversion, deteriorating law and order as well as corruption. The Congress based its campaign on the slew of welfare schemes of the Baghel-led government for farmers, women, tribals and Dalits, and also attacked the BJP-led central government for “handing over” resources to “industrialist friends”.

In Mizoram, there were no reports of any law and order problems throughout the month-long period, said additional chief electoral officer H Lianzela. He said any form of electioneering, public meetings, press conferences by political parties, interviews and panel discussions in the media have been strictly prohibited till voting is over. Out of the 1,276 voting centres in the state, 149 are remote polling stations while at least 30 polling stations along the interstate and international borders have been declared critical and vulnerable.

Here is all you need to know:

Chhattisgarh to cast vote in the first phase

1. The 20 seats that go to polls on November 7 are in seven districts of the Naxal-affected Bastar division and four other districts — Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Kabirdham and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai.
2. Polling in Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta (all reserved for scheduled tribe category) constituencies will take place from 7 am to 3 pm. Polling will take place between 7 am and 5 pm in the remaining 10 seats — Khairgarh, Dongargarh (scheduled caste), Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Pandariya, Kawardha, Bastar (ST), Jagdalpur and Chitrakot (ST).
3. Polling parties are being sent to their destinations amid tight security, particularly in Bastar region. Helicopters are being used to airlift electronic voting machines (EVM), personnel and materials to polling stations in sensitive remote areas, they said. In total, personnel belonging to 156 poll stations in five districts — Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker and Narayanpur — will be dispatched using helicopters and this exercise started from Saturday (November 4).
4. More than 600 polling booths in sensitive areas of Naxal-hit Bastar division will be under three-layered security cover. There are at least 60,000 security personnel — 40,000 belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 20,000 from state police — deployed for the smooth conduct of the polls in Bastar division, which has 12 assembly segments.
5. Members of the elite anti-Naxal unit CoBRA and women commandos will also be a part of the security apparatus, police said. Due to security reasons, 149 polling stations in five assembly constituencies of the division have been moved to the nearest police station and security camps. Naxal activities will be monitored through drones and helicopters. Bomb disposal team and dog squad will also be roped in.
6. A total of 5,304 polling booths have been set up for the first phase. The political fate of 223 candidates will be decided in the first phase, including 25 women, by 40,78,681 voters (19,93,937 male, 20,84,675 female and 69 third-gender persons). The highest number of contestants are in Rajnandgaon constituency (29) while the lowest number of candidates are seven each in Chitrakot and Dantewada seats.
7. State Congress chief and MP Deepak Baij (Chitrakot), ministers Kawasi Lakhma (Konta), Mohan Markam (Kondagaon) and Mohammad Akbar (Kawardha) and Chhavindra Karma (Dantewada) are among the prominent candidates from the ruling Congress. Main candidates from the BJP in this phase are former chief minister Raman Singh (Rajnandgaon) and former state ministers Kedar Kashyap (Narayanpur), Lata Usendi (Kondagaon), Vikram Usendi (Antagarh) and Mahesh Gagda (Bijapur). Former IAS officer Neelkanth Tekam is contesting from Keshkal.
8. Congress has fielded its senior OBC leader and chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Girish Dewangan against Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon. The AAP’s state unit chief Komal Hupendi will contest from Bhanupratappur seat, while MLA Anup Nag after being denied a ticket by the Congress is fighting as an Independent from Antagarh.
9. On the last day of the campaign, the prime minister visited Dongargarh, a pilgrimage spot, and met Jain seer Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj. He also prayed at Maa Bamleshwari Devi temple. Apart from him, union home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigned in the first phase, while the Congress campaign was led by Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and Baghel.
10. The first phase of campaigning also witnessed the murders of BJP functionaries in Manpur on October 20 and in Narayanpur on Saturday (November 4), which the BJP claimed were “targeted killings”. In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress won 17 out of 20 seats that will go to polls in the first phase. The Congress has 71 seats in the 90-member House. The second phase polling to 70 seats will take place on November 17.

Polling under tight security apparatus in Mizoram

1. The police said security has been tightened across Mizoram and along international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The state shares a 510-km porous border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh. At least 3,000 policemen and 5,400 personnel of the CAPF have been deployed for the polls. More than 8.57 lakh electorates, including 4,39,026 women, will decide the fate of 174 candidates for the 40-seat legislative assembly.
2. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju visited the state and campaigned for BJP candidates. State unit president Vanlalhmuaka said the saffron camp will win six to eight seats. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor campaigned for their candidates.
3. During campaigning, ruling party Mizo National Front tried to capitalise on issue of refugees and internally displaced people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur and Mizo subnationalism besides highlighting the development in the state over the last five years despite financial constraints triggered by Covid.
4. The opposition highlighted the failure of the MNF government in fulfilling its promises, including implementation of the flagship programme Socio Economic Development (SEDP), construction of flyovers, good roads among others. The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) banked on its policy of change and introduction of a new system of governance.
5. On the last day of the campaign, Prime Minister Modi released a video message for the people of poll-bound Mizoram seeking their support and blessings to make their homeland “marvellous”. He said the Centre has taken steps to improve its various infrastructure, including railway, health and sports. Terming the people of Mizoram like his family members, he said it has always been a great pleasure for him to interact with the state’s warm people. “We have worked in all possible ways to reduce the distance after forming government at Centre in 2014. We gave prime importance to fulfil your aspirations, dreams and necessities,” he added.
6. The BJP is contesting in 23 seats. It had contested in 39 constituencies in 2018 and won one seat, opening its account for the first time. The PM was earlier scheduled to visit the state and hold a public meeting in Mamit district on October 30 but it was cancelled without citing any reason.
7. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, meanwhile, appealed to the people of the state to vote for his party saying while the Congress had helped bring peace and stability, the BJP and the RSS were “hell-bent on destroying” Mizo culture and way of life. The Congress stands for the protection of the northeastern state’s people, land and natural resources as enshrined under Article 371-G of the Constitution, he said.
8. Kharge also listed out the seven guarantees of the Congress for Mizoram, which include creation of jobs, strengthening democracy at the grassroots, health insurance cover of Rs 15 lakh and special care of cancer patients, monthly old age pension of Rs 2,000, providing subsidised LPG cylinder at Rs 750, and Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to widows and the disabled.

(With PTI inputs)