Chhattisgarh rebels low on winnability, high on ability to get rivals defeated

Sundeep Pouranik
Raipur, Nov 19 (IANS) Rebels may show their influence In the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections and the possibility of their playing a decisive role in defeating their rivals seems likely. The expectation of their winning in the elections is quite low.

In Chhattisgarh, there are 90 Assembly seats, and voting took place in two phases -- the first phase included voting for 20 seats, and the remaining 70 seats saw voting in the second phase.

There are approximately a dozen constituencies where rebels could play a disruptive role. Among these, the majority belong to the Congress party.

The rebel candidates of the Congress include Gulab Raj from Gaurala Pendhra, Anoop Nag and Mantu Ram Pawar from Antagarh, Vinay Jaiswal from Manendragarh, Chintamani Maharaj from Samri, Sagar Singh Bains from Loram, and Basanta Thakur from Mahasamund.

These candidates are in a position to damage the Congress contestants in these constituencies.

On the other hand, the BJP rebel candidates like Bhekhoo Lal Sahu from Mahasamund and Chandni Bharadwaj from Masturi are making their presence felt in the field.

In the overall analysis, compared to the BJP, the Congress has more rebel candidates, and this is why there is a possibility of upsets in the results in several assembly seats.

Political analysts believe that Chhattisgarh is a state where voters do not trust those who switch parties or rebel against their own party to contest elections.

There are also many examples where individuals rebelled after not being selected as candidates and contested elections as independents or on behalf of another party, jeopardising their political future. The same scenario is likely to unfold this time as well.

Rebels who engage in such activities may harm the official candidates of their party and may play a role in their defeat, but the likelihood of their winning the election is minimal.