BJP-Congress in nail-biting contest in Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh today looked set for a nail-biting finish in the Assembly elections with ruling BJP leading in 45 of the 90 seats and contender Congress trailing closely behind with its candidates ahead in 43.

Others are leading in two constituencies after five rounds of counting.

The state has a 90-member House.

Chief Minister Raman Singh is leading by over 12,000 votes against Alka Mudliar of Congress from Rajnandgaon. Alka is the wife of Congress leader Uday Mudliar, who was killed in the brazen Darbha Naxal attack along with several top state party leaders.

Former state Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's son Amit Jogi of Congress is leading by over 7,000 votes against BJP's Sameera Paikra from Marwari seat in Bilaspur.

Devti Karma, the wife of slain Congress leader Mahendra Karma, the man behind the anti-Naxal 'Salwa Judum' movement in the tribal regions of the state, is ahead of BJP's Bheema Mandavi from Dantewada.

Sitting Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, one of the survivors of the audacious Darbha valley attack in Sukma district in May this year that wiped out almost the entire state party leadership, is leading by around 2,000 votes from Konta.

Among the 27 killed in the attack were state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla, besides tribal strongman Karma.

Darbha attack was one of the major issues flagged by Congress during the campaign.

Some ministers in the Raman Singh government are also trailing.

While Agriculture Minister Chandrashekhar Sahu is trailing his Congress rival and former minister Dhanendra Sahu from Abhanpur, Panchayat and rural development minister Hemchand Yadav is behind Congress' Arun Vora, son of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, from Durg city seat.

Sports Minister Lata Usendi and Tribal Welfare Minister Kedar Kashyap are also trailing their Congress rivals from Kondagaon and Narayanpur seats respectively in tribal Bastar region.