Chhattisgarh bypoll: BJP retains Raipur City South assembly seat

Raipur: BJP candidate Sunil Kumar Soni has won the Raipur City South assembly bypoll by 46,167 votes against his nearest rival Akash Sharma of the Congress.

Congratulating Soni and his party leadership, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the victory is a stamp of approval by the voters in the constituency on the work done by their government in the state in the past 11 months.

Soni polled 89,220 votes, while Sharma secured 43,053, according to the figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The bypoll held in the constituency, located in Raipur district, on November 13 saw a voter turnout of 50.5 per cent.

With this victory, the BJP’s in the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly remained unchanged at 54. The current strength of Congress in the House is 35 and the Gondwana Gantantra Party has one MLA.

CM Sai termed the victory in the Raipur City South seat “historic” and attributed it to the efforts of BJP workers.

“I congratulate and thank everyone. I also thank the voters of Raipur South. They have expressed their faith in the BJP and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji’s guarantee,” the CM said.

Sai said his government has tried to fulfil Modi’s guarantee after taking charge of the state.

“Be it giving Rs 1,000 per month to mothers and sisters under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana or paddy bonus to farmers or ‘Ramlala Darshan Yojana’... whatever work our government has done in the last 10-11 months, the people of Raipur City South have put their stamp of approval on them,” he said.

The bypoll was necessitated after sitting BJP legislator and former state minister Brijmohan Agrawal resigned following his election to Lok Sabha from Raipur parliamentary constituency.

In last year's assembly elections, Agrawal had secured 1,09,263 votes in the Raipur City South seat and won by the highest margin of 67,719 votes against his nearest Congress rival. PTI TKP NR