BJP-Congress fight a see-saw battle in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: A see-saw battle is on between BJP and Congress in Chhattisgarh with the ruling party having a slight edge.

BJP has won four of the 90 seats in the state Assembly declared till 5 PM and is leading in 41 others, while Congress, putting up a stiff contest to wrest power after a decade, has bagged three and its candidates are ahead in 40.

Bahujan Samaj Party nominees are leading in two seats. Though Chief Minister Raman Singh won from Rajnandgaon, trouncing his Congress rival Alka Mudliyar by 35,866 votes, some of his ministers were trailing.

In Bastar region, where top state Congress leaders including its president Nand Kumar Patel and tribal strongman Mahendra Karma were killed in an audacious Naxal attack in May, BJP has lost one seat and is trailing in five out of the total 12 seats.

Devti Karma, wife of Mahendra Karma, the man behind anti-Naxal 'Salwa Judum' movement in the tribal regions of the state, defeated BJP's Bheema Mandavi from Dantewada by about 6,000 votes.

Umesh Patel, son of Nand Kumar Patel, is leading his BJP rival Jawaharlal Nayak from Kharsiya in Raigarh district.

Sitting Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, one of the survivors of the attack that wiped out almost the entire state party leadership, is leading from Konta.

Darbha attack was one of the major issues flagged by Congress during the campaign.

Leader of the Opposition Ravindra Chaubey of Congress is trailing BJP's Labhchand Bafna by around 500 votes in Saja constituency.

Congress candidate and former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's son Amit is leading BJP's Sameera Paikra from Marwahi seat in Bilaspur.

Agriculture Minister Chandrashekhar Sahu lost to Congress' Dhanendra Sahu in Abhanpur by 8,354 votes.

Some ministers in the Raman Singh government are also trailing.

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Hemchand Yadav is trailing Arun Vora, son of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, from Durg city seat.

Sports Minister Lata Usendi and Tribal Welfare Minister Kedar Kashyap are also trailing their Congress rivals from Kondagaon and Narayanpur seats respectively in the tribal Bastar region.