Raipur, Nov 16: The energetic hum of campaigning quieted down at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the 70 constituencies gearing up for the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election. Scheduled for Friday, this phase will decide the fate of 958 candidates, including 130 women and one candidate of the third gender. Key contenders include Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy CM Tribhuvaneshwar Saran Singh Deo, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charan Das Mahant, BJP state President Arun Sao, Janata Congress head Renu Jogi, and Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta.
The electorate comprises over 1.63 crore voters, including 81.72 lakh women and 684 individuals of the third gender. With 18,833 polling centers, voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for nine locations in the Bindranawagarh constituency, where the hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The last day of campaigning saw prominent leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda, Congress head Mallikarjun Kharge, former leader Rahul Gandhi, and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra making a final push for their candidates.
