Five of AAP’s 53 candidates secure more than 5,000 votes in Chhattisgarh polls

Raipur: Five of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 53 candidates have managed to secure more than 5,000 votes in the recently concluded Chhattisgarh elections.

In nine constituencies, the nominees of the party led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal polled fewer votes than the NOTA (none of the above) option.

The AAP tried its luck for the second time in the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. Its candidates polled 0.93 per cent of all votes cast in the state, as per the Election Commission (EC).

In 2018, the party had fielded candidates in 85 of the 90 constituencies in the state and all of them had lost their deposits. The party’s vote share stood at 0.87 per cent then.

This time, it fielded 53 nominees but only five of them managed to secure more than 5,000 votes. The data on how many candidates lost their election deposits is yet to be shared by the EC.

The AAP’s state unit chief Komal Hupendi secured 15,255 votes and stood in 3rd position, facing defeat for the second consecutive term from Bhanupratappur seat.

The other four candidates who got more than 5,000 votes are Santram Salam (Antagarh), Baloo Ram Bhawani (Dantewada), Khadgraj Singh (Kawardha) and Jasveer Singh (Bilha).

AAP candidates in Chitrakot, Jagdalpur, Bastar, Keshkal, Saja, Arang, Ramanujganj, Lundra and Kunkuri polled fewer votes than NOTA.

Commenting on their performance, party's state spokesperson Amyatam Shukla told PTI on Wednesday that though they tasted defeat, they did well in the Bastar region.

“In three (Bhanupratappur, Antagarh and Dantewada) of the five seats where our party candidates have polled more than 5,000 votes are from Bastar region,” he said.

However, the results were not as per their expectations as the party could have done better, said Shukla. AAP leaders will introspect the reasons for such performance, he said.

“The results were even very surprising as all the poll surveys and commentators had predicted the victory of Congress in the state. We were expecting to do well in some seats but that could not happen,” Shukla said, adding that the party will try to perform better next time.

Kejriwal, who extensively campaigned in Chhattisgarh, had promised ten guarantees including free electricity, monthly ‘samman rashi’ for women and Rs 3,000 monthly allowance for the unemployed if his party was voted to power in the state.

BJP made a stunning comeback in Chhattisgarh after a gap of five years winning 54 seats in the 90-member assembly. The Congress was reduced to 35 seats while the Gondwana Gantantra Party won one seat.