Voting begins for Chhattisgarh urban body polls

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], February 11 (ANI): Voting began for Chhattisgarh urban body elections on Tuesday morning.
The polling for 10 municipal corporations, 49 Municipal Councils, and 114 Nagar panchayats across the state began at 8 am. It will continue till 5 pm, with the counting of votes set to be done on February 15.
There are a total of 44.74 lakh voters among which 22.52 lakh are male voters while 22.73 lakh are female voters.
The Election Commission has set a total of 597 polling stations across the state for urban body polling.
In January, the Chhattisgarh Election Commission announced that the state will hold urban local body elections on February 11, with results to be declared on February 15.
The three-tier panchayat elections will take place in three phases on February 17, 20, and 23, with results to be announced on February 18, 21, and 24, respectively.
Earlier on February 6, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai attended the Vijay Sankalp rally in Korba as part of the BJP's campaign for the urban body elections in 2025.
He also took part in a roadshow in Raigarh, showcasing BJP's support base in the region. Sai's presence was a key moment in the party's push to solidify its position ahead of the municipal elections. He encouraged citizens to trust the BJP with further development and governance.
"I am grateful for the love that you people have given to BJP... Leave the responsibility of development to us. All the development work will be done. The double-engine government has been formed. Now, we have to form the triple-engine government," he said, emphasizing his commitment to progress in the state.
In a statement from Raipur, CM Sai elaborated on BJP's strategy for the urban body elections. "Our campaign for the municipal corporation elections is starting today. There is a meeting in the East Municipal Corporation and in the evening, there is a roadshow in the Raigarh Municipal Corporation."
Earlier, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao expressed confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's success in the upcoming urban body elections, stating that the BJP is well-prepared and will hold workers' conferences in all urban bodies for the polls.
"Lotus will bloom in these urban body elections, BJP will win," said Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao.
Speaking about the Chhattisgarh Mayoral polls, Sao said, "We will hold workers' conferences in all urban bodies. On February 1, all BJP workers will raise the party flag at their homes. The workers' conference will energise the party members and assign responsibilities for urban body elections."
Taking a jibe at Congress, Arun Sao said, "The way there is chaos in Congress and their candidates have been selected shows that Congress has accepted defeat even before going to the polls. Effigies of the Congress state president have been burned in multiple places, revealing dissatisfaction. Congress is struggling to find candidates. Lotus will bloom in these urban body elections, BJP will win." (ANI)