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Kota, Chhattisgarh, Dec 2 (UNI) Electioneering came to an end for the Assembly by-election in Kota constituency in Bilaspur district, where former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's wife is locked in a 23 corner contest with the ruling BJP nominee as her main rival.

The rural constituency, where nearly 1.46 electorate, including 50 per cent women, are expected to exercise their franchise on December 4, witnessed a no holds-barred campaign spiced with mud-slinging and rumour mongering.

Almost all candidates - Mrs Renu Jogi (Congress), Mr Bhupendra Singh Thakur (BJP) and 21 others-- remained low profile and focussed mainly on village to village contact with the electorate.

However, it was their star campaigners, who stole the show throughout the electioneering, indulging in mud-slinging, levelling personal allegations, hitting below the belt and rumour mongering about their political adversaries.

While addressing an election meeting, a BJP MP made certain objectionable remarks against Mr Jogi's late parents, that too in the presence of senior BJP leaders.

Congress leaders also took strong exception to an advertisement, released by the BJP in local newspapers, depicting the caricature of a person using a wheel chair and a slogan, which also contains certain derogatory remarks.

Mr Jogi, who uses a wheel chair and travels in a specially designed vehicle as he had sustained serious spinal cord injuries in a road accident nearly two and a half years ago, mainly targeted the BJP government's three-year rule in the state.

He left no stone unturned to woo the electorate, highlighting the alleged corruption and inefficiency of the BJP government. He also alleged blatant misuse of official machinery by ministers camping in the constituency.

''I know that the voters are being offered money. If anybody offers you money, please don't hesitate to accecpt it. It's the people's money and hence your money. These people had gained this money from schemes like public distribution system (PDS) meant for the poor,'' Mr Jogi said at a number of election meetings in the tribal villages.

A senior BJP minister, who is heading the BJP campaign, went public asking his party cadres to remain alert saying he suspected that Mr Jogi could engineer an attack on himself before the polling so as to gain sympathy votes.

Rumour mills are also working overtime. There have been rumours about an attack on the vehicle in which Congress candidate was travelling in the constituency and also about senior Congress leader fighting one another during the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Bilaspur district administration has made elaborate arrangements for security on polling day with five companies of central para-military forces being deployed in sensitive areas.

The by-election to Kota assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Congress veteran Rajendra Prasad Shukla, who was the first Speaker of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. This rural constituency has been a traditional stronghold of the Congress with the party retaining the seat in all the elections held since 1952.

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