The 2023 Assembly election in Dondi Lohara (ST) ended with Anila Bhendia of the Indian National Congress on top of the count. Anila Bhendia polled 102,762 votes, while Devlal Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party finished second with 67,183. The difference between them was 35,579 votes. With 221,829 electors and turnout recorded at about 82.16%, the constituency produced a result whose scale can be understood most clearly through the official vote totals rather than campaign claims.
The winner secured 56.43% of the valid vote reflected in the ECI detailed result, compared with 36.89% for the runner-up. Girwar Singh Thakur of Hamar Raj Party was the next notable candidate with 7,793 votes (4.28%), while NOTA accounted for 3,126 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 |
| Anila Bhendia | Indian National Congress | 102,762 | 56.43% | Winner |
| Devlal Thakur | Bharatiya Janata Party | 67,183 | 36.89% | Runner-up |
| Girwar Singh Thakur | Hamar Raj Party | 7,793 | 4.28% | Third major |
| NOTA | NOTA | 3,126 | — | — |
Winning margin: 35,579 votes | Total electors: 221,829 | Turnout: about 82.16% | NOTA: 3,126
How the contest unfolded in the numbers
The central fact of the Dondi Lohara (ST) count was the gap between the first two candidates. Anila Bhendia finished 35,579 votes ahead of Devlal Thakur. The runner-up, in turn, was 59,390 votes ahead of the third-placed major candidate, Girwar Singh Thakur. 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, Girwar Singh Thakur, received 7,793 votes. That was well below the totals of the two leading candidates, leaving the main numerical contest centred on Anila Bhendia and Devlal Thakur. NOTA, at 3,126, remained a separate recorded choice and did not alter the order of the leading candidates.
Turnout and the size of the mandate
Dondi Lohara (ST) had 221,829 electors on the 2023 roll and turnout was about 82.16%. 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.
Anila Bhendia received 102,762 votes, a lead of 35,579 over Devlal Thakur. The winner-runner-up vote-share gap was 19.54 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, Girwar Singh Thakur polled 7,793 votes and NOTA received 3,126. 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 Dondi Lohara (ST) was led by Anila Bhendia, whose 102,762 votes produced a margin of 35,579 over Devlal Thakur. The top two accounted for the overwhelming share of the leading vote totals, while Girwar Singh Thakur 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 Dondi Lohara (ST) Assembly seat in 2023?
Anila Bhendia of the Indian National Congress won the seat with 102,762 votes.
Who was the runner-up?
Devlal Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party finished second with 67,183 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The winning margin was 35,579 votes.
What were the top two vote shares?
Anila Bhendia recorded 56.43% and Devlal Thakur recorded 36.89%.
Who was the third major candidate?
Girwar Singh Thakur of Hamar Raj Party polled 7,793 votes (4.28%).
How many votes did NOTA receive?
NOTA received 3,126 votes.
How many electors were registered?
The constituency had 221,829 electors in the 2023 statistical record.
What was turnout?
Turnout was about 82.16% 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.
