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Updated: Oct 20, 2019 16:49 IST

Bypolls for the Maoist-affected Chitrakot constituency in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), will be held on Monday.

As many as 1,67, 722 voters will be able to exercise their franchise across 229 polling booths of the constituency.

Total six candidates are in the fray for the bypoll. The Congress has fielded, Rajman Benzam, a local tribal leader and president of the Bastar District Congress (Rural), while the BJP has given ticket to former MLA Lachhuram Kashyap. Deepak Baij of the Congress was the incumbent MLA but his election to Lok Sabha necessitated the bypoll.

Campaigning in this constituency concluded on Saturday following which the candidates have started door-to-door campaign in the constituency.

Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel led the Congress’ campaign where he highlighted several pro-farmers and pro-tribal policies initiated by the government in the last ten months.

BJP national vice president and former CM Raman Singh and Leader of the opposition Dharamlal Kaushik led the election campaign for BJP. They blamed the government for inaction and ditching tribals and farmers.

“We have made all arrangements for peaceful election in Chitrakot by-election. Around 8,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces have been deployed and combing operation in the nearby area is going on,” said DM Awasthi, director general of police (DGP).

In the 2018 assembly election, Congress’s Deepak Baij defeated Lachhuram Kahyap of BJP by 17,770 votes.

“Congress has just won Dantewada by-poll which will surely have an impact on Chitrakot by-poll. Secondly, the earlier MLA who is now MP , Deepak Baij is one of the tallest leader of Bastar hence BJP has many things to worry,” said Ashok Tomar, a political commentator based in Raipur.