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Journalism of Courage
The faction-ridden Congress in Chhattisgarh suffered a major setback on Thursday when BJP candidate Sewakram Netam won the Keshkal Assembly bypoll in Bastar district by a margin of over 21,800 votes. He defeated his nearest rival Budhsen Markam of the Congress. While Netam secured 58,362 votes Markam polled 36,476 votes.
The bypolls for the Naxal-hit Assembly segment, held on February 4, were necessitated after BJP legislator and parliamentary secretary Mahesh Baghel died in a road accident last year. The win of the BJP candidate has also come as a morale boost for the party cadre which is faced with the uphill task of beating anti-incumbency factor in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
An elated Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh said the win was a pointer towards the BJP’s return to power in the state.
“The win also substantiates that our pro-poor policies have percolated down to the beneficiaries. The high percentage of polling recorded at the bypoll is also an indicator that the local people are frustrated with the Naxalite menace,” the Chief Minister added.
However, the BJP win has not come as a surprise to political observers as the state Congress had been plagued by infighting. “Various factions led by senior state leaders seemed to be pulling in different directions, instead of securing a win for the party candidate,” party sources stated.
