Campaigning ends for second phase polls in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Nov 18 (IANS) Campaigning ended Tuesday evening for 51 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh that are going to polls in the second and the final phase Thursday.

Elections for 39 of the total 90 constituencies were held Nov 14. As many as 29 of the total seats are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and 10 for the Scheduled Castes.

Election officials said a total of 687 candidates, including 58 women, are in the fray for Thursday's polls.

About 8.8 million people are eligible to vote at 10,314 polling stations in the second phase.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are contesting on all 51 seats while the Congress has candidates on 48 seats, leaving three seats to its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Thursday's polling will decide the fate of eight ministers as well as BJP state president Vishnudeo Sai (Pathalgaon), Congress state president Dhanendra Sahu (Abhanpur), former chief minister Ajit Jogi (Marwahi) and his wife Renu (Kota).

In the outgoing assembly, the BJP has 52 members, the Congress 34 and the NCP and BSP have one member each. Two seats are vacant.