BJP still going strong in Chhattisgarh tribal areas

Despite having suffered major reverses in major cities of Chhattisgarh, the ruling BJP has continued its sway over tribal regions of Bastar and Sarguja in the civic elections.

Though the BJP won six of the 9 municipal corporations, 12 of the 26 municipal councils and 53 of the 119 nagar panchayats, it had to face major reverses in Raipur, Bilaspur and Rajnandgaon municipal corporations, where the Congress wrested the mayor post from the ruling party besides winning 41 other civic bodies in municipal areas.

But Congress lost its mayoral posts in Chirmiri and Raigarh. The party won nine municipal councils and 33 nagar panchayats. However the BJP continued to retain its electoral positions in the tribal regions of Bastar where its candidate Kiran Dev won from Jagadalpur Municipal Corporation by the highest margin of over 22,000 votes. Similarly, in north tribal area of Sarguja BJP’s sitting mayor Prabodh Minj retained his mayoral position for the second consecutive term.

In Durg while the BJP candidate Shiv Kumar Tamer won the election as mayor the main opposition Congress was relegated to third position as the Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch candidate finished second. The other municipal corporations where the BJP candidates won the mayor posts included Korba, Chirmiri (Damru Behra) and Raigarh.

The Nationalist Congress Party and Bahujan Samaj Party won one municipal council each while Independent candidates, mostly rebels of both the BJP and Congress, won three municipal councils and 33 nagar panchayats.

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