Chhattisgarh polls: Why BJP is claiming Congress faces anti-incumbency

Raipur, Oct 26: It's a strange game of anti-incumbency in Chhattisgarh. The state will go to its first phase of polling on November 12 when election will take place in 18 seats. Out of these 18 seats, 12 are in the Bastar region and of them, the Congress has eight while the ruling BJP has two and both parties claim that it is the other which is facing the anti-incumbency challenge locally.

How?

According to the Congress, the BJP government of the state under Chief Minister Raman Singh is witnessing a growing anti-incumbency since it is power in the central Indian state for 15 consecutive years. The BJP, on the other hand, claims that although the government is its own, it is the Congress which has more MLAs to defend their seats in Bastar.

The Congress has kept faith on seven of its MLAs while the BJP has played a gamble on the candidates who were there last time as well. It is of the opinion that its losing candidates will have a sympathy factor working in their favour and the Congress candidates who won will have to fight the anti-incumbency.

The BJP's question is whether the anti-incumbency challenge exists against the government or individuals.

The party said while no anti-incumbency is visible against the government, it also said that the BJP hasn't changed candidates it fielded in the first phase and those who it has fielded are not members of the government. Therefore, according to the BJP, there is no question of it facing the anti-incumbency challenge.

In the first list of candidates that the BJP has fielded for the upcoming elections, it has not only reposed faith on most of its sitting MLAs but also chose to give tickets to 14 candidates who lost the elections in 2013. Candidates for 77 out of 90 seats were announced in the first list. The saffron party has fielded 32 sitting legislators who include 11 serving ministers.

While the BJP is preaching its own calculations, the Congress has accused of not doing much in the last 15 years. It has said that Naxalism is on the rise and corruption is rampant.

Both big parties have stuck with a lot of faces that were there in the 2013 elections to make the most of the anti-incumbency mood. Who is more closer to perfection will be known on December 11 when the results will come out.