Congress to appoint Lok Sabha Observers for Chhattisgarh polls

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday approved the proposal for the appointment of Lok Sabha Observers for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections with immediate effect.

The proposal was approved by the Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.

Pradeep Kumar Balmachu's name has been proposed for Raigad while Rajkumar Verka's for Raipur. Chhattisgarh is scheduled to hold polls in two phases on November 7 and 17.

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday expressed that his party would emerge victorious in the upcoming Chhattisgarh assembly polls.

"Congress sabke dil men hai. The atmosphere over here is telling us that even the public wants us to win. They want to vote for the Congress party. Because whatever we promised, we fulfilled it," the Congress president said while speaking to reporters in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.

Earlier today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is a 'pre-paid CM' of Congress and that the validity of his talk time has ended. The Union Home Minister said that Bhupesh Baghel has made Chhattisgarh the ATM of the Congress.

"If Baghel becomes the Chief Minister again, then thousands of crores of rupees will be withdrawn by swapping the 'pre-paid' cards daily," Shah said while addressing Vijay Sankalp Maharally in the Pandariya Assembly constituency here.

The elections for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases, with the first phase of polling for 20 seats scheduled on November 7 and the remaining 70 seats to go for polling on November 17. The counting of votes will be done on December 3.

Congress stormed to power in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 elections, winning 68 out of 90 seats.

The party had a vote share of 43.9 per cent. BJP won 15 seats and had a vote share of 33.6 per cent.