"Good trend in favour of BJP": Chhattisgarh CM after second phase polling

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 27 (ANI): After the conclusion of the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Saturday that there is a good trend in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"Voting was above 74 per cent in Rajnandgaon, Kanker and Mahasamund seats. There is a good trend in favour of the BJP. The party is going to win all three Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh," he said.
BJP's Santosh Pandey is seeking his second straight term in Rajnandgaon, while the opposition Congress has fielded its firebrand leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel against him.
So far, the Congress has won this seat in general elections eight times and once in a bypoll, while the BJP has won the poll seven times and the Janata Party once.
As per the Election Commission, Chhattisgarh recorded a voter turnout of 76.24 per cent in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Despite the scorching heat, polling stations across the State of Chhattisgarh witnessed large numbers of enthusiastic citizens waiting to cast their votes.
The second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Friday saw nearly 61 per cent turnout till 7 pm with polling now complete in 14 states and union territories.
The polling was peaceful and 102 villages in Bastar division witnessed polling in Lok Sabha for the first time.
"In phase two, voters from 46 villages in Bastar and Kanker parliamentary constituencies in Chhattisgarh cast their vote in a polling booth set up in their village for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election. Including phase one, overall, 102 new polling stations were set up for the first time in these PCs for the convenience of villagers," an official release said on Friday.
Lok Sabha polls are being held across seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)