The 2023 Assembly election in Dhamtari ended with Onkar Sahu of the Indian National Congress on top of the count. Onkar Sahu polled 88,544 votes, while Ranjna Dipendra Sahu of the Bharatiya Janata Party finished second with 85,938. The difference between them was 2,606 votes. With 220,402 electors and turnout recorded at about 82.96%, the constituency produced a result whose scale can be understood most clearly through the official vote totals rather than campaign claims.
The winner secured 48.44% of the valid vote reflected in the ECI detailed result, compared with 47.02% for the runner-up. Ghanaram Sahu of Bahujan Samaj Party was the next notable candidate with 1,102 votes (0.60%), while NOTA accounted for 2,695 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 |
| Onkar Sahu | Indian National Congress | 88,544 | 48.44% | Winner |
| Ranjna Dipendra Sahu | Bharatiya Janata Party | 85,938 | 47.02% | Runner-up |
| Ghanaram Sahu | Bahujan Samaj Party | 1,102 | 0.60% | Third major |
| NOTA | NOTA | 2,695 | — | — |
Winning margin: 2,606 votes | Total electors: 220,402 | Turnout: about 82.96% | NOTA: 2,695
How the contest unfolded in the numbers
The central fact of the Dhamtari count was the gap between the first two candidates. Onkar Sahu finished 2,606 votes ahead of Ranjna Dipendra Sahu. The runner-up, in turn, was 84,836 votes ahead of the third-placed major candidate, Ghanaram Sahu. 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 margin of 2,606 was relatively narrow in absolute terms, making every block of votes visible in the final arithmetic. NOTA alone stood at 2,695, while Ghanaram Sahu received 1,102. These numbers do not prove vote transfer, but they underline how closely the top two candidates finished in the certified result.
Turnout and the size of the mandate
Dhamtari had 220,402 electors on the 2023 roll and turnout was about 82.96%. 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.
Onkar Sahu received 88,544 votes, a lead of 2,606 over Ranjna Dipendra Sahu. The winner-runner-up vote-share gap was 1.42 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, Ghanaram Sahu polled 1,102 votes and NOTA received 2,695. 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 defining feature of Dhamtari in 2023 was the closeness of the top-two count. A margin of 2,606 separated Onkar Sahu and Ranjna Dipendra Sahu, while turnout remained high at about 82.96%. The result therefore records a tightly fought constituency in that election. The certified figures establish who won and by how much; they do not by themselves identify a single social group or local issue as the cause.
(FAQ)
Who won the Dhamtari Assembly seat in 2023?
Onkar Sahu of the Indian National Congress won the seat with 88,544 votes.
Who was the runner-up?
Ranjna Dipendra Sahu of the Bharatiya Janata Party finished second with 85,938 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The winning margin was 2,606 votes.
What were the top two vote shares?
Onkar Sahu recorded 48.44% and Ranjna Dipendra Sahu recorded 47.02%.
Who was the third major candidate?
Ghanaram Sahu of Bahujan Samaj Party polled 1,102 votes (0.60%).
How many votes did NOTA receive?
NOTA received 2,695 votes.
How many electors were registered?
The constituency had 220,402 electors in the 2023 statistical record.
What was turnout?
Turnout was about 82.96% 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.
