Friday, May 17

Konta Constituency: Triangular Contest At Naxal-Affected Region

Edited by Hiba Anvar
Konta Constituency: Triangular Contest At Naxal-Affected Constituency

Konta is a scheduled Tribe (ST) assembly constituency in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. It is classified as a rural seat and it is also a part of Bastar Lok Sabha constituency. It comprises a total of 164,744 voters with a higher female voter count.

Most of the voters from the constituency belongs to scheduled tribes, constituting about 84% of its population. Due to the high tribal population, caste equation does not play a significant role in electoral influence and the traditional vote bank belongs to Indian National Congress.

In the assembly election 2023, the constituency witnessed a fierce political battle between the incumbent ruling party, the Congress, its rival BJP and Communist Party of India (CPI). Currently it is held by Industry and Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, one of the most influential tribal leaders in the state. Lakhma won from the constituency five times in a row since 1998.

The health and transportations infrastructure in the constituency have seen considerable growth and also better operations of districts hospitals and expansion of roads in 50 Naxal-affected areas over the last four years. The establishment of a food park in the district also generated new employment opportunities. Another major development was the construction of bridge that connected Odissa which resulted in a major boost in the business sector, says India Today.

Sukma district is highly Naxal affected area and thus have suffered several Naxalite attacks. Agriculture and forest products are the primary sources of income.

In the 2018 assembly elections, Lakhma of Congress won the seat by a margin of 6,709 votes by defeating Dhaniram Barse of BJP. Last time, the voter’s turnout in the previous election was 38% due to the increased policing in Naxal-hit areas leading to opening of 14 new police camps in these regions.

In the 2023 assembly election, Kawasi Lakhma contested the election representing the Congress while BJP candidate was Soyam Muka and BSP placed Madkami Masa.