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While the countdown for the counting has started in Chhattisgarh, the myth associated with the election results that will be out on Sunday is hunting the powerful politicians.
In the electoral history of Chhattisgarh that came into being 13 years ago, the Leader of Opposition has never won the state polls while the party of the candidate winning Bhatapara assembly constituency has not come to power. The BJP has fielded its stalwart state general secretary Shivratan Sharma from Bhatapara.
The Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader, Ravindra Choubey had been contesting from Saja assembly constituency in Durg that has been his traditional seat. Choubey had been representing the seat since 1990.
Set aside the myth, he had faced a tough fight from BJP’s Labhchand Bafna who had lost the 2008 election to Choubey by a margin of about 5000 votes.
If Saja assembly constituency goes by the myth that no leader of opposition in Chhattisgarh has won the election, it will not affect the prospect of Congress eyeing to trounce BJP and return to power. But if the Bhatapara seat follows the tradition, the BJP government led by Raman Singh has reasons to worry.
In 2003 election—the first poll held after Chhattisgarh was formed in November 2000—Chaitram Sahu defeated BJP’s Shivratan Sharma. The Congress lost the power as BJP formed the government in 2003 with a comfortable margin. In 2008, Sahu retained the seat by defeating Sharma. The Congress failed to make a comeback in the state.
Similarly, the BJP’s powerful tribal leader Nandkumar Sai lost the 2003 state polls from Marwahi to Ajit Jogi. He was Leader of Opposition when Congress government was in power from 2000 to 2003. From 2003 to 2008, Mahendra Karma was the Leader of Opposition. He lost the 2008 election to little known Bheema Mandavi from Dantewada.
The two powerful leaders of both the parties are however confident that the myth will not matter this time.
“I will break the tradition,” said Shivratan Sharma. The BJP will win Bhatapara and the party government will come to power with a comfortably majority with more than 50 seats (in the House of 90 members), he added.
Congress general secretary Ramesh Varlyani said it was an interesting myth but would not apply on the incumbent Leader of Opposition (Ravindra Choubey). Saja had been traditionally a strong hold of Choubey family and there was no reason that mandate would go against the Congress, he explained.
