How BSP has done in Chhattisgarh polls: 2003-2013

Raipur, Oct 13: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who faced two major election debacles in 2014 and 2017, is leaving no stone unturned to make a comeback to prominence. She is making her presence felt ahead of the Assembly elections in three Hindi belt states and could be a key figure in the post-poll scenario.

In Chhattisgarh, the BSP has made an alliance with former Congressman and ex-chief minister of the state Ajit Jogi's party Janta Congress. The party has been a third force in the state after the BJP and Congress and here is a look at how the 'elephant' has done in the central Indian state in its last three elections:

In the 2013 election, the BSP had fielded 90 candidates for the polls but managed to win just one seat with 5,58,424 votes and a percentage of 4.4. The ruling BJP received 42.3 per cent (49 seats) while the Congress got 41.6 per cent vote share (39 seats). Keshav Chandra, who won from Jaijaipur seat (general) in Janjgir-Champa district by just 2,579 votes, was the BSP's only winning candidate. The party finished second in two and third in 22 seats.

In the 2008 election, the BSP won two seats in Chhattisgarh after fielding candidates in all 90 seats. It finished second in one seat while third in 36 seats. The party polled 6,56,041 votes and got a vote-share of 6.1 per cent. The BJP got 50 seats and 40.3 per cent vote share while the Congress got 38 seats with 38.6 per cent vote share. The two BSP candidates who won in 2008 are Saurabh Singh from Akaltara constituency and Dujram Boudhh from Pamgarh constituency.

In the 2003 election, the first polling that the state which was created in 2000 saw, the BSP won two seats after fielding 54 candidates and polled 4,29,334 votes. Its vote share that year was 4.4 per cent while that of the BJP was 39.3 per cent (50 seats) and Congress 36.7 per cent (37 seats). The two candidates who won for the BSP were Kamda Jhole from Sarangarh and Lalsay Khunte from Malkharoda.