The ruling Congress party in Chhattisgarh may return to power following the Assembly elections this year. According to an ABP News-CVoter (Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research) opinion poll for Chhattisgarh, the Congress will win a majority in the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expected to give a tough fight.

According to the ABP News-CVoter poll, the Congress is expected to win 48-54 seats with a vote share of 45.6 percent, while the opposition BJP is expected to win 35-41 seats with a vote share of 41.1 percent. There is no other major party in the race, and Others are expected to win 0-3 seats with a 13.3 percent vote share.

During the ABP News-CVoter survey in Chhattisgarh, respondents were asked about the most pressing issues confronting the state and the country. In response, 30.3 percent said unemployment was the most important issue, while 26.4 percent said rising prices were the most important issue, followed by poverty (9.7 percent), corruption (7.8 percent), the education system (2.2 percent), women’s security (2 percent), communal tension (1.8 percent), and other/local issues (19.8 percent).

One of the questions asked about their preferred candidate for Chief Minister. While 48.8 percent supported current CM Bhupesh Baghel (INC), 46.3 percent were very much satisfied’ and 31.5 percent were satisfied to some extent with his performance. While the BJP’s Raman Singh received 23.7 percent of the vote, current Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo (INC) received 13 percent. Only 1.2 percent voted for Ramesh Bais of the BJP, but more than 13 percent voted for ‘Others’ as their preferred choice for CM.

When asked how satisfied the people of Chhattisgarh are with the Baghel government’s performance, 42.5 percent said they are “very much satisfied,” 34 percent said they are “satisfied to some extent,” and 22.8 percent said they are “not at all satisfied.”

On the question of how satisfied the people of Chhattisgarh are with the performance of the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 47.1 percent of respondents said that they are ‘very much satisfied’, while 36.1 percent said that they are ‘satisfied to some extent’; 15.6 percent said that they are ‘not at all satisfied’ with the work done by the central government.

When asked how satisfied they are with PM Modi’s performance, 64.2 percent of respondents said they are ‘very much satisfied’, 15.7 percent said they are ‘satisfied to some extent’, and 15.1 percent said they are ‘not at all satisfied’.

ABP News-CVoter also carried out a Snap Poll in Chhattisgarh, and as per the findings, 66.5 percent of BJP supporters think the party’s decision to announce candidates for 21 seats much before the elections is right, while 47.7 percent of Congress voters and 56 percent ‘Others’ also think it is a right decision. Over 22 percent of BJP voters and 35.2 percent of Congress supporters think the decision is wrong.

Asked if the BJP had besieged CM Baghel in a personal fight by fielding his nephew Vijay Baghel against him, 53.3 percent of BJP voters, 36.4 percent of Congress voters, and 48.8 percent ‘Others’ said ‘Yes’ in reply. The answer from 36.1 percent BJP supporters, 50.9 percent Congress supporters, and 41.9 percent ‘Others’ was a ‘No’.

ABP News-CVoter conducted a Snap Poll in election-bound Madhya Pradesh too. The questions asked were if the BJP’s decision to announce candidates for 39 seats much before the elections is right or wrong, and if the ruling party has taken an early lead with this decision.

Replying to the first question, 63.2 percent of BJP voters, 32.7 percent of Congress voters, and 43.9 percent of ‘Others’ said ‘Yes’.

The corresponding figures for ‘No’ were 23.2 percent, 44.9 percent, and 35.6 percent, respectively. In reply to the second question, 50.2 percent of BJP voters, 23.2 percent of Congress voters, and 38.9 percent of ‘Others’ said ‘yes’, and 41.8 percent of BJP voters, 73.7 percent of INC voters and 48.1 percent ‘Others’ said ‘No’.