After Delhi Sweep, BJP Registers Landslide Victory in Chhattisgarh Civic Polls, Wins All 10 Mayor Seats

Raipur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued its winning streak in Chhattisgarh, sweeping the civic body elections following its victories in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The saffron party won a majority of the municipal bodies, with welfare schemes and fulfilled promises playing a crucial role in its triumph.

As per poll officials, the BJP secured all ten mayoral posts across the state.

The Congress, which put up a weak performance, managed to win the chairman’s post in Kunkuri Nagar Panchayat, Jashpur district—an assembly constituency represented by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.

The elections, held on February 11, covered 173 urban bodies, including 10 municipal corporations, 49 municipal councils, and 114 Nagar Panchayats. With a voter turnout of 72.48%, the counting took place on Saturday.

BJP Dominates Key Positions

The BJP’s clean sweep in all 10 municipal corporations marked a significant shift from the last elections (2019-20), when the Congress had secured these posts.

In the 49 municipal councils:

• BJP won 35 chairperson seats
• Congress secured 8
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 1
• Independent candidates claimed 5 

Among the 114 Nagar Panchayats:

• BJP secured 81 chairperson posts
• Congress won 22
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) secured 1
• Independents took 10

The BJP also clinched most of the municipal ward seats, notably winning 60 out of 70 wards in Raipur Municipal Corporation. Congress managed only seven, while independent candidates took three.

Additionally, the chairman of Basna Nagar Panchayat and 31 corporators were elected unopposed, officials confirmed.

Key Mayoral Wins

• Raipur: BJP’s Meenal Choubey won with 3,15,835 votes, defeating Congress’ Dipti Dubey by a margin of 1,53,290 votes.
• Rajnandgaon: BJP’s Madhusudan Yadav, a former MP, won with 62,517 votes, defeating Congress’ Nikhil Dwivedi (21,379 votes).
• Ambikapur: BJP’s Manjusha Bhagat won with 42,836 votes, beating Congress' Dr. Ajay Tirkey (31,773 votes), a two-time mayor.
• Raigarh: BJP’s Jivardhan Chouhan, a tea seller, secured 56,311 votes to defeat Congress’ Janki Katju by 34,365 votes.

CM Sai Hails ‘Historic Day’

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai termed the BJP’s landslide victory as a "historic moment" for the party and the state. "The people of Chhattisgarh have reaffirmed their faith in BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and 'Modi ki Guarantee,'" he said. Sai also assured that the promises outlined in the BJP’s ‘Atal Vishwas Patra’ manifesto would be fulfilled.

Criticizing the Congress, Sai accused the party of “murdering democracy” in previous elections by implementing an indirect voting system for mayors. He pointed out that Aijaz Dhebar, Congress’ mayoral candidate in the last term, even lost his ward seat in Raipur this time.

Congress Reacts, Alleges BJP Misused Government Machinery

State Congress chief Dipak Baij accepted the defeat, stating, "The results are not as per our expectations, but we respect the people's mandate."

However, he alleged that the BJP misused government machinery, citing delays in the election process, changes in voting methods, and issues with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). "More than 100 complaints of EVM malfunctioning were reported," he claimed.

Despite the setback, Baij asserted that Congress would continue to fight for public issues and hold the BJP accountable.

Shift from 2019 Polls

In the last urban body elections (2019-20), Congress had dominated, winning all 10 mayoral posts and securing a significant number of chairperson positions. However, under the Sai-led BJP government, direct elections for these posts were restored, reversing the indirect election system introduced by Congress.