Raipur: Sarangarh holds the distinction of being the only assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh where no male candidate has emerged victorious. Since the inception of Chhattisgarh as an independent state in 2000, after the division of undivided Madhya Pradesh, political parties have consistently nominated female candidates to contest and secure victory in this reserved category seat.
Currently, Uttari Ganpat Jangde represents Sarangarh as the sitting Congress MLA. In the 2018 state assembly election, Uttari garnered 1,01,843 votes, accounting for 52.49% of the total votes cast. In contrast, BJP's Kerabai Manhar received 49,445 votes, while BSP's Arvind Khatekar secured 31,038 votes. Despite the area being dominated by the scheduled caste, Arvind faced a significant defeat in the elections.
The Sarangarh seat has a rich history of favoring female candidates. Since the formation of the state in 2000, there has been a clear preference for electing women to represent the constituency. In 2003, during Chhattisgarh's assembly elections, Kamta Jolhe from the BSP became the first female member from the Dalit community to represent the Sarangarh seat. This historic political milestone marked the beginning of a trend that has continued ever since.
In the 2008 elections, the Congress Party's Padma Manhar defeated the BSP MLA in Sarangarh. In 2013, the BJP candidate Kerabai Manhar was elected from the constituency. Finally, the seat was secured by Uttari Jangde of the Congress Party. The BJP has expressed its confidence in their new candidate, Shiv Kumari Chauhan, while the Congress and BSP have yet to announce their candidates for the seat.
In historical records, after India's independence, Nanhu Devi Chouhan contested and emerged victorious in 1957, becoming the first Dalit woman MP in India. In 1969, Rani Lalita retained the seat, followed by Rajkumari Rajanigandha, who was elected as a Lok Sabha MP. Additionally, Kamla Devi of the Congress retained the seat as an MLA for five consecutive terms.
