The 2023 Assembly election in Abhanpur ended with Indra Kumar Sahu of the Bharatiya Janata Party on top of the count. Indra Kumar Sahu polled 93,295 votes, while Dhanendra Sahu of the Indian National Congress finished second with 77,742. The difference between them was 15,553 votes. With 214,002 electors and turnout recorded at about 83.84%, the constituency produced a result whose scale can be understood most clearly through the official vote totals rather than campaign claims.
The winner secured 52.00% of the valid vote reflected in the ECI detailed result, compared with 43.33% for the runner-up. Makhan Lal Tamrakar of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) was the next notable candidate with 2,379 votes (1.33%), while NOTA accounted for 2,087 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 |
| Indra Kumar Sahu | Bharatiya Janata Party | 93,295 | 52.00% | Winner |
| Dhanendra Sahu | Indian National Congress | 77,742 | 43.33% | Runner-up |
| Makhan Lal Tamrakar | Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) | 2,379 | 1.33% | Third major |
| NOTA | NOTA | 2,087 | — | — |
Winning margin: 15,553 votes | Total electors: 214,002 | Turnout: about 83.84% | NOTA: 2,087
How the contest unfolded in the numbers
The central fact of the Abhanpur count was the gap between the first two candidates. Indra Kumar Sahu finished 15,553 votes ahead of Dhanendra Sahu. The runner-up, in turn, was 75,363 votes ahead of the third-placed major candidate, Makhan Lal Tamrakar. 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, Makhan Lal Tamrakar, received 2,379 votes. That was well below the totals of the two leading candidates, leaving the main numerical contest centred on Indra Kumar Sahu and Dhanendra Sahu. NOTA, at 2,087, remained a separate recorded choice and did not alter the order of the leading candidates.
Turnout and the size of the mandate
Abhanpur had 214,002 electors on the 2023 roll and turnout was about 83.84%. 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.
Indra Kumar Sahu received 93,295 votes, a lead of 15,553 over Dhanendra Sahu. The winner-runner-up vote-share gap was 8.67 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, Makhan Lal Tamrakar polled 2,379 votes and NOTA received 2,087. 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 Abhanpur was led by Indra Kumar Sahu, whose 93,295 votes produced a margin of 15,553 over Dhanendra Sahu. The top two accounted for the overwhelming share of the leading vote totals, while Makhan Lal Tamrakar 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 Abhanpur Assembly seat in 2023?
Indra Kumar Sahu of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat with 93,295 votes.
Who was the runner-up?
Dhanendra Sahu of the Indian National Congress finished second with 77,742 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The winning margin was 15,553 votes.
What were the top two vote shares?
Indra Kumar Sahu recorded 52.00% and Dhanendra Sahu recorded 43.33%.
Who was the third major candidate?
Makhan Lal Tamrakar of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) polled 2,379 votes (1.33%).
How many votes did NOTA receive?
NOTA received 2,087 votes.
How many electors were registered?
The constituency had 214,002 electors in the 2023 statistical record.
What was turnout?
Turnout was about 83.84% 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.
