Dongargarh (SC) delivered a clear numerical verdict in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election. Harshita Swami Baghel of INC finished first with 89,145 votes, while Vinod Khandekar of BJP polled 74,778. The difference between them was 14,367 votes. The result is important not because it offers a shortcut to a future forecast, but because it records exactly how voters distributed their votes in this constituency in 2023.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Vote share | Status |
| Harshita Swami Baghel | INC | 89,145 | 51.59% | Winner |
| Vinod Khandekar | BJP | 74,778 | 43.27% | Runner-up |
| Bahadur Kurre | BSP | 2,032 | 1.18% | Third major |
| NOTA | NOTA | 1,679 | — | — |
Total electors: 209,950 | Voter turnout: 82.34% | Winning margin: 14,367 votes
How the Dongargarh (SC) contest unfolded
The count placed Harshita Swami Baghel at the head of the field with 89,145 votes, equivalent to 51.59% of the valid votes recorded in the official detailed result. Vinod Khandekar followed with 74,778 votes and 43.27%. That produced a gap of 14,367 votes between first and second place. In a constituency-level result story, this top-two gap is the central measure of the 2023 contest: it shows the distance between the two leading candidates on counting day without turning that distance into a claim about another election.
The contest was not limited to the top two names. Bahadur Kurre of BSP received 2,032 votes (1.18%). NOTA accounted for 1,679 votes. These numbers complete the picture of the constituency because they show how much of the vote remained outside the two leading candidates. They are best read as recorded choices in 2023, not as votes that can automatically be transferred to either leading party.
Turnout and the size of the electorate
ECI voter information records 209,950 electors in Dongargarh (SC) and a voter turnout of 82.34%. Participation is part of the result story because it establishes the scale on which the candidate totals were produced. The winner’s 89,145 votes and the runner-up’s 74,778 votes therefore sit inside a constituency where a substantial share of registered electors participated in the poll.
The turnout figure should be kept separate from candidate vote share. Candidate vote share describes a candidate’s portion of votes counted under the official result denominator, while turnout describes participation among registered electors. Keeping the two measures distinct makes the record easier to compare with other elections without mixing different denominators.
What the third-place vote adds to the story
Bahadur Kurre’s 2,032 votes gave the 2023 result an additional layer beyond the BJP–Congress comparison. In Dongargarh (SC), the third-place total was 1.18% of valid votes according to the result table. Its significance is factual: those votes were cast for Bahadur Kurre and BSP. Without survey or booth-level evidence, the result itself does not establish where those voters would have gone in a two-candidate contest.
Election Mandi Analysis
The 2023 count in Dongargarh (SC) shows a 14,367-vote separation between Harshita Swami Baghel and Vinod Khandekar. The winner polled 51.59% and the runner-up 43.27%, while Bahadur Kurre finished third with 2,032 votes. Taken together, these figures provide the constituency’s factual 2023 baseline. They describe the completed election; they do not by themselves establish a permanent party advantage or a future result.
(FAQ)
Who won Dongargarh (SC) in the 2023 Assembly election?
Harshita Swami Baghel of INC won with 89,145 votes.
Who was the runner-up?
Vinod Khandekar of BJP finished second with 74,778 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The margin was 14,367 votes.
Who finished third?
Bahadur Kurre of BSP finished third with 2,032 votes.
How many votes did NOTA receive?
NOTA received 1,679 votes.
How many electors were registered?
ECI records 209,950 electors.
What was voter turnout?
ECI AC-wise voter information records turnout at 82.34%.
Does the 2023 result predict the next Assembly election?
No. It is a completed historical result; a later election depends on a new candidate field, campaign, issues and voter choices.
Sources
Election Commission of India — Chhattisgarh Legislative Election 2023 Statistical Report: Detailed Results; Constituency Data Summary; AC-wise Number of Electors; AC-wise Voters Information. Last verified 24 September 2026.
