)
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh could manage to get a marginal lead in the panchayat polls in the state. Of the 25 District Panchayat President posts, BJP bagged 14 while Congress could get 11 seats.
The opposition leaders alleged that the ruling party rigged the Panchayat President polls or otherwise the tally would have been in favour of Congress party.
The District Panchayat President is elected by the district panchayat members. As the panchayat election in Chhattisgarh is not contested on party line, the exact number of BJP and Congress supporters winning panch and sarpanch posts cannot be known. In fact, Congress claimed that its maximum supporters had won across the state.The litmus test was District Panchayat President election where BJP and Congress fielded their candidates. Hectic political activities took place in the state in wake of elections as both the parties reportedly “detained” its supporters at different undisclosed locations and presented them in the polling venue Monday morning.
While the Congress bagged panchayat members were in majority in Jagdalpur, BJP could manage to get its candidate Javita Mandavi occupy the post. The jolt however came for the Chief Minister, Raman Singh and Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo as they failed to ensure victory for the candidates backed by their parties.
In Rajnandgaon, the home constituency of Singh, BJP backed Madhu Sahu lost the election to Congress backed Chitralekha Verma. In Sarguja from where Singhdeo comes, BJP backed candidate Phooleshwari Paikra won the District Panchayat President poll.
