Raipur
The last day for candidate withdrawals in the Chhattisgarh urban body elections has brought setbacks for Congress, with three of its candidates stepping out of the race. As a result, BJP has secured victory in seven wards even before voting takes place.
Thursday marked the final day for candidates to withdraw their nominations. By evening, election symbols will also be allotted. Voting is scheduled for February 11, and results will be declared on February 15. However, ahead of the elections, BJP has already won seven seats unopposed.
Congress Faces Setback on the Last Day of Withdrawals
On the final day of nomination withdrawals, Congress suffered another blow as two councilor candidates from Raigarh Municipal Corporation and one from Bhilai Municipal Corporation withdrew their nominations. With no competition left in these wards, BJP candidates won uncontested. The withdrawals also led to tensions between Congress and BJP leaders in Raigarh.
Across the state, a total of 109 candidates are contesting for mayor positions, while 816 candidates are in the fray for municipal council president positions. More than 10,000 nominations were filed for councilor seats. Meanwhile, Congress has already faced setbacks, with the cancellation of nominations for Dhamtari mayor candidate Vijay Golcha and the chairman candidate of Bishrampur municipal council.
Unopposed BJP Victories
BJP candidates who won uncontested:
Raigarh Municipal Corporation, Ward 18: Congress candidate Sheela Sahu withdrew, securing an automatic win for BJP’s Poonam Solanki.
Raigarh Municipal Corporation, Ward 45: Congress candidate Khirilal Singh Thakur withdrew, leading to an uncontested win for BJP’s Narayan Patel.
Bhilai Municipal Corporation, Ward 35: Congress candidate Manoj Sinha withdrew, allowing BJP’s Chandan Yadav to win unopposed.
Bilaspur Municipal Corporation, Ward 13: Congress candidate Shyam Patel failed to submit a caste certificate, resulting in his nomination being canceled. BJP’s Ramesh Patel won uncontested.
Katghora Municipality, Ward 13: BJP candidate was the only one to file a nomination as Congress did not field a candidate.
Katghora Municipality, Ward 18: Congress candidate withdrew on Wednesday, giving BJP another unopposed victory.
Durg Municipal Corporation, Ward 21: Congress candidate Meera Singh withdrew, leading to BJP’s Vidyawati Singh winning without a contest.
This means BJP has already celebrated victories in seven wards, even before voting begins.
Voting to Take Place in 49 Municipal Councils and 114 Nagar Panchayats
Elections will be held in 49 municipal councils, including Bijapur, Kirandul, Dantewada, Sukma, Kondagaon, Kawardha, Balod, Bemetara, Tilda-Newra, Mahasamund, and Jashpur.
Similarly, 114 Nagar Panchayats will also go to polls, covering Geedam, Farasgaon, Patan, Pandatarai, Gunderdehi, Arang, Rajim, and Marwahi, among others.
Bypolls and Future Elections
By-elections will be held in several wards, including Bhilai Municipal Corporation (Wards 24 & 35) and Bhilai-Charoda Municipal Corporation (Ward 32).
Meanwhile, elections in 19 urban bodies, including Birgaon, Bhilai, and Khairagarh, are scheduled for 2026.
