Assembly Election Campaigning for First Phase Concludes Today

TFP Bureau, Raipur; Nov 05, 2023: In preparation for the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023, campaigning in the assembly constituencies scheduled for the first phase of voting will cease by 5 pm on Sunday, November 5. Candidates contesting in areas with varying polling times will halt their campaigns accordingly. For constituencies with voting schedules from 7 am to 3 pm, campaigning will conclude at 3 pm, while candidates in constituencies slated for polling between 8 am and 5 pm can campaign until 5 pm on November 5. Public platform campaigns will be restricted 48 hours prior to the closing time of voting.

The first phase encompasses 20 assembly constituencies, witnessing the participation of 223 candidates—198 men and 25 women. An estimated 40,78,681 voters will partake in the first phase, with 19,93,937 male voters, 20,84,675 female voters, and 69 third gender voters. The election setup includes a total of 5,304 polling stations across these constituencies.

Half of the 20 constituencies will have voting hours from 7 am to 3 pm, while the other ten will conduct voting from 8 am to 5 pm. Notably, voting will occur from 8 am to 5 pm in Pandaria, Kawardha, Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur, and Chitrakote constituencies. Conversely, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Konta constituencies will witness voting from 7 am to 3 pm.

Additionally, the Election Commission of India has imposed a ban on organizing and telecasting exit polls from November 7 to November 30. The Commission invoked the provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibiting exit polls during this period in light of the assembly general elections in five states, including Chhattisgarh.

Under the guidelines outlined in the notification issued by the Commission, there will be a restricted period for conducting and telecasting exit polls from 7 am on November 7 to 6.30 pm on November 30. Displaying any election-related content, including the results of opinion polls or surveys on any electronic media, will be prohibited 48 hours before the culmination of voting in respective constituencies, as per Section 126 (1) (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.