Cong's Mohd Akbar records highest victory margin in C'garh

Senior Congress leader Mohammad Akbar won by the highest margin of 59,284 votes against his BJP rival in the just concluded Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

He also got the highest 1,36,320 votes, as compared to the remaining candidates in the fray in the state polls, as per the EC data.

Akbar, a former state minister and All India Congress Committee (AICC) member, defeated BJP's Ashok Sahu, who got 77,066 votes, in Kawardha seat.

Interestingly, he had suffered defeat at the hands of Sahu in the 2013 state polls.

Akbar had in the past been elected from Birendra Nagar seatin 2003 and Pandariya in 2008.

As per the EC data, five other Congress candidates - Amitesh Shukla, Dwarikadhish Yadav, Kuwarsingh Nishad, Kismat Lal Nand and Uttari Ganpat Jangde - won their seats by a margin of over 50,000 votes inthe just concluded state polls.

Shukla wrested the Rajim seat from BJP's Santosh Upadhyay by 58,132 votes while Yadav wonthe Khallari seat against BJP's Monika Sahu by 56,978 votes.

Similarly, Nishad defeated BJP's Dipak Tarachand Sahu in the Gunderdehi seat by 55,394 votes, while Kismat Lal Nand bagged the Saraipali seat defeating Shyam Tandi of the BJP by 52,288 votes.

Congress' woman candidate Uttari Ganpat Jangde won the Sarangarh seat against BJP's Kerabai Manhar by a margin of 52,389 votes.

On the other hand, BJP's Ranjana Dipendra Sahu won the Dhamtari seat by the lowest margin of 464 votes defeating Congress' sitting MLA Gurumukh Singh Hora.

Sahu, who was elected as an MLA for the first time, bagged 63,198 votes while Hora got 62,734 votes.

The Congress registered a landslide victory in the state polls, winning 68 seats in the 90-member Assembly.

The BJP, which ruled the state for 15 years, won only 15 seats.

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) managed to win five seats while his ally BSP got two seats.