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Updated: Sep 21, 2019 19:54 IST

The high-voltage campaign for September 23 Dantewada by election, in which wives of slain tribal leaders representing the Congress and the BJP are the main contenders, ended in Chhattisgarh on Saturday evening.

The by -election is being held due to the killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi on April 9, just two days before the parliamentary elections in Bastar. Mandavi was the only BJP candidate to have won a seat in the Bastar region’s 12 assembly segments, in 2018 assembly polls.

The Congress has again fielded Devati Karma-- who narrowly lost to Bhima Mandavi in 2018-- while the BJP has given ticket to the slain leader’s wife Ojaswi Mandavi. Seven other candidates are also in the fray.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM Raman Singh were the chief campaigners for their parties. While the Congress highlighted the pro-farmers and pro-tribal policies started by the government in the last nine months, BJP attacked the Congress for alleged vendetta politics and sought votes citing work done in Raman Singh’s 15-year rule.

Political commentator Ashok Tomar said while both the candidates were banking on the sympathy votes--Karma died in 2013 and Mandavi in 2019—the Congress had an edge.

“The Congress government has initiated pro-tribal and pro-poor policies which will definitely have an impact on this election,” said Tomar.

“The Congress is winning this seat…because the government in the last nine months has done enough for the tribals of Bastar,” a confident Devati Karma said, echoing Tomar.

BJP candidate Ojaswi Mandavi said people will reward her for her husband’s work done for Dantewada.

“My husband had done many developmental works in last 10 years as an MLA and due to this, the people of Dantewada will once again elect the BJP,” Mandavi said.

Around 18,000 security personnel are deployed for the bypoll in the Maoist hit Dantewada. Extra precaution is being taken as Maoists are observing their annual “foundation week” from September 21 to 27 and chances of disturbances are high, said Director General of Police (DGP), Chhattisgarh.

There are 1,88,263 registered voters in Dantewada including 89,747 male and 98,876 female voters.