Sunil Soni Secures Landslide Victory in Raipur South By-election : Defeats Congress’s Akash Sharma by Over 46,000 Votes

Raipur
BJP candidate Sunil Soni emerged victorious in the Raipur City (South) by-election, defeating Congress contender Akash Sharma by a margin of 46,167 votes. Soni garnered a total of 89,220 votes, while Sharma received 43,053. In postal ballots, the BJP secured 161 votes, compared to 76 for Congress.
The win sparked celebrations among BJP workers, with an atmosphere of jubilation at their party headquarters, while Congress’s office remained silent.
From the very first round of counting, it was evident that Soni was heading toward a decisive lead. The BJP candidate maintained an advantage in every round, leaving no room for a close contest as Akash Sharma lagged throughout.
Sunil Soni was awarded the certificate of victory in the presence of MP Brijmohan Agrawal, who played a key role in supporting his campaign.
Jubilant BJP workers took to the streets, celebrating Soni’s success alongside their leaders.
Despite the backdrop of significant controversies such as the Surajpur, Balrampur, Baloda Bazar, and Kawardha incidents, Congress’s attempts to leverage these issues failed to sway voters in Raipur South. Law and order concerns raised by Congress also had little impact on the BJP’s dominance.

Initially, Sunil Soni wasn’t considered the first choice for the Raipur South candidature, with names like Kedar Gupta, Meenal Chaubey, and Mrityunjay Dubey being floated. However, senior BJP leader Brijmohan Agrawal rallied support for Soni, ensuring no internal dissent surfaced.
With the BJP gearing up for upcoming municipal elections and key appointments in corporations and boards, the party demonstrated strong unity, leading to this decisive win in Raipur South.