Chhattisgarh by-election tells a big story ahead of 2023 Assembly polls

In Khairagarh, the Congress consolidated its vote share hugely from 18.66 per cent in 2018 to 52.97 per cent

One by-poll result has become the subject of a lot of slicing and dicing.

When Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced plans to install a life-size statue of the late MLA Devwrat Singh in Khairagarh ahead of the by-election early this month, it was a surprise for his party colleagues in the Congress.

For, the member of the Khairagarh royal family had quit the party in December 2017 and joined the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi (JCC-J), founded by former chief minister and Congressman Ajit Jogi in 2016. Singh contested election in 2018 on the JCC-J ticket and won, pushing the Congress