Chhattisgarh Assembly Election result 2023: Kawasi Lakhma retains Konta again

Chhattisgarh Assembly Election Results 2023: Konta seat falls in the Naxal-affected Sukma district, and is currently held by Industry and Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, one of most influential tribal leaders in the state. He has won again this year.

Congress leader and five-time winner Kawasi Lakhma secured Konta seat with 32776 votes, while BJP's Soyam Muka bagged 30795 votes. This ST reserved seat falls in the Naxal-affected Sukma district, and is currently held by Industry and Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, one of most influential tribal leaders in the state. Lakhma has won from Konta five times in a row since 1998.

It has mostly seen a triangular contest between the Congress, BJP and Communist Party of India (CPI). While the BJP has fielded Soyam Muka, the CPI-M has given ticket to its former MLA Manish Kunjam.

Lakhma is one of the survivors of 2013 Naxal attack on a Congress convoy in Darbha valley the Sukma district which led to over 27 deaths, including former state minister Mahendra Karma and Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and Vidya Charan Shukla. 

Check out 2018 election verdict

In the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, Konta Assembly constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 52.60%. There were 164,744 valid votes cast out of a total of 86,645 registered voters.  Kawasi Lakhma emerged victorious, the next closest rival by 6,709 votes. The winning candidate secured a 7.70% margin over their closest rival.

Main political parties in fray in 2023 polls

The key players in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections included the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC), while smaller parties like Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC), AAP, BSP, and Left have also fielded their candidates in select constituencies.

Out of the 90 Chhattisgarh Assembly seats up for grabs, 10 seats have been reserved for individuals from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 29 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).