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The elections were held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Voter turnout stood at 76.31 per cent, which was slightly lower in the 2018 polls.

Counting of votes in elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly are underway on Sunday morning, with security personnel maintaining a strict vigil in counting centres in the state’s 33 districts, including those affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), a poll official said.

The elections were held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Voter turnout stood at 76.31 per cent, which was slightly lower than the 76.88 per cent recorded in the 2018 polls.

“Counting of votes for all the 90 seats started at 8 am in 33 district headquarters. A three-layer security mechanism is in place at each counting centre,” Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer Reena Kangale said.

“The counting of postal ballots began at 8 am. Half an hour after the postal ballots are counted, the process of counting votes from the EVMs will begin,” she said.

A total of 90 returning officers, 416 assistant returning officers, 4596 counting personnel and 1698 micro-observers have been appointed for carrying out the counting process smoothly, the official said.

In every counting hall, there are 14 tables arranged in rows of seven, except for Pandaria, Kawardha, Sarangarh, Bilaigarh, Kasdol and Bharatpur-Sonhat Assembly seats where 21 tables have been arranged, she said.

While Masturi and Jashpur constituencies will see 24 rounds of counting, Manendragarh and Bhilai Nagar constituencies will have 12 rounds of counting, the official added.

A total of 1,181 candidates are in the fray, including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo (both from Congress) and former CM Raman Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Patan seat, represented by Baghel, witnessed a triangular contest with BJP fielding the Chief Minister’s distant nephew and Lok Sabha MP Vijay Baghel.

Amit Jogi, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) state President and son of former CM, late Ajit Jogi, is also in the fray from Patan.

In Ambikapur constituency, the BJP fielded a fresh face, Rajesh Agrawal, against Deputy CM Singh Deo. Agrawal had joined the BJP after quitting the Congress ahead of Assembly polls in 2018.

Nine ministers, including Tamrdhwaj Sahu (Durg Rural constituency), Ravindra Choubey (Saja), Kawasi Lakhma (Konta), state Assembly Speaker Charan Das Mahant (Sakti), State Unit Chief and MP Deepak Baij (Chitrakot), were among the other prominent Congress candidates.

From the BJP, apart from Raman Singh, the other prominent candidates are State Unit Chief, MP Arun Sao (Lormi constituency), opposition leader Narayan Chandel (Janjgir-Champa), Union minister Renuka Singh (Bharatpur-Sonhat), MP Gomti Sai (Pathalgaon), former ministers Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur South), Ajay Chandrakar (Kurud) and Punnulal Mohile (Mungeli).

Two former IAS officers OP Chaudhary (Raigarh) and Neelkanth Tekam (Keshkal) also contested on BJP tickets.

The Aam Aadmi Party fielded 53 candidates, including its Chhattisgarh unit president Komal Hupendi, who contested from Bhanupratappur seat.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Gondwana Ganatantra Party (GPP) formed an alliance to fight the polls.

While the main fight is between the ruling Congress and BJP, a three-way contest played out in several seats of the Bilaspur division where former CM Ajit Jogi’s party and the BSP have pockets of influence.

In the 2018 polls, the Congress swept the polls winning 68 seats, leaving the BJP, which had ruled since 2003, a distant second with 15 seats.

Exit polls have predicted a close contest between the Congress and the BJP, with the ruling party having a slight edge.

Of the 90 assembly seats in the state, 51 are in the general category, 10 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 29 for Scheduled Tribes.

As per the statement issued by Dantewada police, 38 Naxals were killed in an encounter with security personnel.

A major Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast was carried out on a Naxal patrol search operation in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

According to IG Bastar P Sundarraj, the Naxals attacked the patrolling team and carried out an IED blast. Meanwhile, two army jawans were injured during the blast incident.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada police said that at least 38 cadres of naxals were gunned down in an encounter that recently took place in the forest of Abujhmad close to the Dantewada-Narayanpur border.

As per the statement issued by Dantewada police, 38 naxals were killed in an encounter with security personnel inside the forest of village Nendur and Thulthuli near the Dantewada-Narayanpur border.

The eliminated naxals were collectively carrying a cash reward of Rs 2.62 crore. Of 38 naxals killed in the encounter, police have recovered the bodies of 31 cadres, said the statement, adding that the bodies of 29 cadres had been handed over to their relatives. All the 38 naxals killed in the encounter have been identified, the statement said.

A viral video showing the step-by-step preparation of the red ant chutney in Chattisgarh has received more than 25 million views.

India is the land of chutneys. Nearly every region in the country has at least one type of chutney or similar condiments that spotlights local flavours. One of the most extraordinary kinds of chutney found in India is the red ant chutney. This unique delicacy is made in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and surrounding areas. Recently, a video showing the making of this chutney went viral on Instagram. It has clocked more than 25 million views so far. In the reel shared by @foodguyrishi, we see the step-by-step preparation of the red ant chutney. The vlogger explains the details in a voiceover.

The first step is to remove the red ants from a tree, which the vlogger says is “the biggest task”. Next, the ants and their eggs are collected in a container and separated from other materials and elements. Commenting on the process of sorting them out – where we see a woman also eating some of them live – the vlogger says that people in the area do indeed consume them in this way.

Next, the woman starts assembling the other ingredients for the chutney. On a grinding stone, she adds dried red chillies, garlic and chopped onions. She grinds them together by hand and then adds the ants and their eggs to the mixture. Finally, the chutney is ready and the vlogger is seen tasting it. He mentions that this chutney is beloved by children as well as adults in the region. He adds that it said that it is also supposed to be good for those with a fever. Watch the full viral video below:

Odisha’s red ant chutney was granted the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag on January 2, 2024. Made with red weaver ants, this “kai chutney” has a recipe similar to the one shown in the above viral video. The ants used for it are known to otherwise lead to sting-causing skin blisters and are found in the forests of Mayurbhanj, including the Similipal forests, which is the second-largest biosphere in Asia. Click here to learn more about this chutney.

The accused, Gulshan Goswami (30), was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition, the official said.

In a suspected case of ‘human sacrifice’, a man allegedly killed his grandmother and offered her blood on a ‘shivling’ before he tried to end his life in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, police said on Sunday.

The incident, which appears to be the outcome of superstition, took place on Saturday evening in Nankatti village under Nandini police station limits, Sub Divisional Officer of Police, Dhamdha area, Sanjay Pundhir said.

After being alerted about the incident by locals, a police team reached the spot and sent the body of the woman, identified as Rukmani Goswami (70), for postmortem.

The accused, Gulshan Goswami (30), was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition, the official said.

As per preliminary information, Gulshan lived with his grandmother in a room close to a Lord Shiva temple and used to daily perform rituals at the temple, he said.

On Saturday evening, he allegedly killed his grandmother with a trident in their house and offered her blood on the ‘shivling’ at the temple, the official said.

The man then returned home and attacked himself with the same trident on his neck, inflicting serious injuries, he said.

Gulshan has been admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the state capital Raipur, he said.

“Prima facie, the incident seems to be the outcome of superstition. A case has been registered in this connection and further probe is on,” Pundhir said. 

The online application process for the post began on April 7, 2025 and will close on May 2, 2025.

Chhattisgarh Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam) has released a recruitment notification for Assistant Development Extension Officer (ADEO25) posts. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online through the official website vyapamcg.cgstate.gov.in. Applications have been invited under the Development Commissioner Office, Nava Raipur. 

The online application process for the post began on April 7, 2025 and will close on May 2, 2025.  The forms can be filled on the last day by 5 pm. Candidates will have the option to make correction in the online application form from May 3-5, 2025. 

The tentative date for the exam is set as June 15, 2025. The exam will be conducted in centres across 33 districts. The admit cards will be released by June 6, 2025.  No examination fee will be charged from the local residents of Chhattisgarh state for the ADEO25 recruitment. 

The CG Vyapam ADEO exam is being held to fill a total of 200 vacancies. There are 193 vacant and backlog posts, 2 for Scheduled Tribes and 5 backlog posts for Divyangjans.

Candidates will be selected for the post based on 85 per cent weightage given to marks obtained in the exam and additional 15 marks will be given to PG degree holders. 

Candidates applying for CG Vyapam Sahayak Vikas Vistar Adhikar must have completed graduation from any recognised university. The age limit set for the post is between 20-30 years and the cutoff date is January 1, 2025.

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