Chhattisgarh elections: Key players and constituencies to look for

In the Chhattisgarh assembly elections, the fight is mainly between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).

Voting for 20 seats in the state's southern part began on Tuesday. The remaining 70 seats will undergo polling on November 17 in the second phase. There are several constituencies that hold strong significance in the state's politics.

BJP has fielded former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh from the Patan assembly constituency, where he will be contesting against Congress' Girish Dewangan.

Another key player from the BJP in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh assembly polls is Bhawna Bohra, who is contesting from the Pandariya seat against Congress' Neelu Chandravanshi. Bhawna Bohra is known for her social work efforts and is popularly referred to as 'Ambulance Wali Didi'

Congress leader Mohammad Akbar is also one of the key players, as he is the only Muslim candidate in the Chhattisgarh assembly elections. He is contesting from the Kawardha assembly constituency, where he contested for the first time in 2018 and emerged victorious against the BJP's Ashok Sahu

Savitri Manoj Mandavi is another important leader representing the Congress in the Bhanupratappur constituency, where she is challenging the BJP's Gautam Uike. Savitri Manoj Mandavi is the widow of the late Congress MLA Manoj Mandavi.

Another seat to watch out for is Konta. The Congress party has retained Kawasi Lakhma as its candidate from Konta, who is also the incumbent MLA from the constituency. The BJP has fielded Soyam Muka from Konta.

Kondagaon constituency is presently represented by former state Congress chief Mohan Markam, who defeated the BJP's tribal woman leader and former minister Lata Usendi in both the 2013 and 2018 elections. They are now gearing up for their third contest in this constituency.

Of the 20 seats that are undergoing polling in the first phase on November 7, Congress emerged victorious on 17 seats in the 2018 Chhattisgarh assembly elections, while the BJP had won only two of these 20 seats and one seat was won by the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC).