BJP sweeps Chhattisgarh, wins 10 of 11 LS seats

Raipur, May 16 (IANS) Chhattisgarh's ruling BJP maintained its dominance in the third consecutive Lok Sabha election, winning 10 of the total 11 constituencies in the state.

The BJP won 10 seats in 2009 and in 2004 as well.

Congress veteran Ajit Jogi lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and outgoing MP Chandulal Sahu in Mahasamund by just 1,556 votes.

However, the official declaration of the result was held back as Jogi, a former chief minister, sought a recount.

But the BJP suffered a stunning defeat in Durg where its national women's cell chief Saroj Pandey lost to Tamradhwaj Sahu of the Congress.

Pandey's defeat shocked several BJP leaders in the state. Most attributed it to her "arrogant behaviour" as Sahu is virtually an unknown figure in Chhattisgarh politics.

Sahu had lost the assembly election from Bemetara last year.

Congress candidate and union minister Charandas Mahant and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's niece Karuna Shukla, who recently joined the Congress, suffered crushing defeats in Korba and Bilaspur seats respectively.

Chief Minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh, who made his electoral debut from Rajnandgaon, won. So did state BJP chief Vishnudeo Sai from Raigarh.

Raman Singh and other BJP leaders credited the victory to the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for the "thumping victory" in Chhattisgarh.