The Election Commission on Monday announced the poll schedule for five states, including Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh assembly election will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17, with vote counting on December 3, alongside Mizoram, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana.

Seen as the semi-final ahead of the 2024 general elections, these elections will gauge the public sentiment towards the Opposition’s ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ (INDIA), a coalition of non-BJP parties hoping to put a stiff challenge against the BJP juggernaut.

The Chhattisgarh election is crucial for the ruling Congress party, as it aims to consolidate its position in the alliance. It is the only party with a pan-India presence in the bloc, which also features Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal among others.

Addressing a press conference, the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that nearly 16 crore voters will be eligible to vote during the upcoming five assembly elections. Of these, over 2 crore voters belong to Chhattisgarh.

Currently, the Congress has 71 members in the 90-member assembly in the state while 13 are of the BJP, 3 of the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh and two of the Bahujan Samaj Party. The Congress made an unprecedented comeback in the state after 15 years of BJP rule in 2018 and formed the government with Bhupesh Baghel at its helm.

Notably, Baghel is the first OBC chief minister of the state, which forms nearly 40% of the state population — a key aspect that Congress seeks to make its poll plank amid its push for national census. The party has promised to hold a caste census in Chhattisgarh if the Congress is once again voted to power.

Last month, senior party leader Rahul Gandhi promised that the INDIA bloc will also conduct a caste census, if voted to power in the upcoming general elections, echoing his stance of ‘jitni abadi, utna haq’ (rights proportional to population).