The 2023 Assembly election in Arang (SC) ended with Guru Khushwant Saheb of the Bharatiya Janata Party on top of the count. Guru Khushwant Saheb polled 94,039 votes, while Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya of the Indian National Congress finished second with 77,501. The difference between them was 16,538 votes. With 231,375 electors and turnout recorded at about 77.29%, the constituency produced a result whose scale can be understood most clearly through the official vote totals rather than campaign claims.
The winner secured 52.59% of the valid vote reflected in the ECI detailed result, compared with 43.34% for the runner-up. Santosh Markandey (Advocate) of Bahujan Samaj Party was the next notable candidate with 1,397 votes (0.78%), while NOTA accounted for 2,255 votes. Together, these figures show how the contest was distributed beyond the top two names.
2023 official result at a glance
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Vote share | Status |
| Guru Khushwant Saheb | Bharatiya Janata Party | 94,039 | 52.59% | Winner |
| Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya | Indian National Congress | 77,501 | 43.34% | Runner-up |
| Santosh Markandey (Advocate) | Bahujan Samaj Party | 1,397 | 0.78% | Third major |
| NOTA | NOTA | 2,255 | — | — |
Winning margin: 16,538 votes | Total electors: 231,375 | Turnout: about 77.29% | NOTA: 2,255
How the contest unfolded in the numbers
The central fact of the Arang (SC) count was the gap between the first two candidates. Guru Khushwant Saheb finished 16,538 votes ahead of Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya. The runner-up, in turn, was 76,104 votes ahead of the third-placed major candidate, Santosh Markandey (Advocate). That separation is important to the story of the 2023 contest because it shows whether the race remained concentrated around two candidates or whether a third force occupied a substantial part of the vote.
The third major candidate, Santosh Markandey (Advocate), received 1,397 votes. That was well below the totals of the two leading candidates, leaving the main numerical contest centred on Guru Khushwant Saheb and Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya. NOTA, at 2,255, remained a separate recorded choice and did not alter the order of the leading candidates.
Turnout and the size of the mandate
Arang (SC) had 231,375 electors on the 2023 roll and turnout was about 77.29%. In a constituency-level result, turnout supplies the scale of participation behind the count: it tells us how much of the registered electorate entered the voting process, while the candidate totals show how those polled votes were distributed.
Guru Khushwant Saheb received 94,039 votes, a lead of 16,538 over Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya. The winner-runner-up vote-share gap was 9.25 percentage points. Those are the clearest measures of the 2023 result. They establish the size of the victory in that election without turning the historical result into a claim about a future contest.
The third candidate and NOTA in the 2023 picture
Beyond the top two, Santosh Markandey (Advocate) polled 1,397 votes and NOTA received 2,255. Their significance lies in the fact that the constituency did not consist only of the winner and runner-up. The final result included voters who chose smaller parties, independents and NOTA, and those choices remain part of the official electoral record.
Election Mandi Analysis
The 2023 count in Arang (SC) was led by Guru Khushwant Saheb, whose 94,039 votes produced a margin of 16,538 over Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya. The top two accounted for the overwhelming share of the leading vote totals, while Santosh Markandey (Advocate) and NOTA remained much smaller components of the result. The strongest factual reading is therefore the certified gap, vote shares and participation level recorded in 2023.
(FAQ)
Who won the Arang (SC) Assembly seat in 2023?
Guru Khushwant Saheb of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat with 94,039 votes.
Who was the runner-up?
Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya of the Indian National Congress finished second with 77,501 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The winning margin was 16,538 votes.
What were the top two vote shares?
Guru Khushwant Saheb recorded 52.59% and Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya recorded 43.34%.
Who was the third major candidate?
Santosh Markandey (Advocate) of Bahujan Samaj Party polled 1,397 votes (0.78%).
How many votes did NOTA receive?
NOTA received 2,255 votes.
How many electors were registered?
The constituency had 231,375 electors in the 2023 statistical record.
What was turnout?
Turnout was about 77.29% according to ECI AC-wise voter information.
Does this result predict the next election?
No. It is a record of the established 2023 Assembly result; a later election must be assessed with fresh candidates, issues and official data.
Sources
Primary source: Election Commission of India — Chhattisgarh Legislative Election 2023 Statistical Report, including Detailed Results, Constituency Data Summary and AC-wise Voters Information. Result date: 3 December 2023. Last verified for this article: 24 September 2026.
