The 2023 count in Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) produced a clear result: Renuka Singh Saruta of the BJP won with 55,809 votes, while Gulab Kamro of the INC finished second with 50,890. The winning margin was 4,919 votes. Shyam Singh Markam of the GGP was third with 33,863 votes and NOTA recorded 2,573. Election Commission records list 176,696 electors and turnout at 84.17%. The five-year comparison matters because the 2018 winner was Gulab Kamro of the INC, making 2023 a change in the winning party.

2023 Result at a Glance

The margin that separated winner and runner-up

At the centre of the result were the 55,809 votes polled by Renuka Singh Saruta and the 50,890 received by Gulab Kamro. Their separation of 4,919 votes decided the seat. Using the turnout and electorate as a broad denominator, about 148,725 voters participated; the winner’s total is roughly 37.5% of that base and the runner-up’s about 34.2%. The certified candidate totals, rather than these calculated percentages, remain the primary result figures.

The third-place vote added another layer

The third-place number adds another layer. Shyam Singh Markam received 33,863 votes, about 22.8% of the approximate turnout base. That does not establish where those voters would have gone in a different contest, but it does show that the 2023 result cannot be reduced to only the top two candidates. The third-place vote was a real and measurable part of the constituency’s count.

2018 vs 2023: how the result changed in five years

In 2018, Gulab Kamro of the INC won Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) with 51,732 votes and Champadevi Pawle of the BJP was runner-up with 35,199. The margin then was 16,533 votes. By 2023, the margin stood at 4,919. Placing the two elections side by side therefore shows changes in the leading candidates, the volume of votes and the distance between first and second place.

What changed at party level

The party outcome also changed: the INC held the seat after the 2018 count, while the BJP won it in 2023. The official result cannot by itself establish a single cause for that shift, but it does establish the change in representation and the new vote distribution. That is the most defensible way to describe the five-year movement in Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST).

Turnout and the size of the electorate

Turnout provides the scale around those numbers. With 176,696 electors and 84.17% turnout, roughly 148,725 people voted. Turnout alone does not identify which party benefited, but it shows the size of the electorate within which a margin of 4,919 votes was produced.

The official NOTA count

NOTA received 2,573 votes. It is recorded as a separate option and should not be reassigned to any candidate in a hypothetical calculation. For the historical result, the decisive figures remain the candidate totals and the certified margin between first and second place.

Three numbers that define the constituency result

For Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST), in Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district, the result is best understood through three candidate totals: Renuka Singh Saruta at 55,809, Gulab Kamro at 50,890 and Shyam Singh Markam at 33,863. Set beside the 2018 Gulab Kamro versus Champadevi Pawle contest, these figures provide a straightforward account of how the seat’s electoral order changed over five years. Claims about caste, community or booth-level behaviour would require separate evidence and are not inferred from the aggregate result.

A fixed 2023 baseline for later comparisons

The 2023 result is a historical record, not a forecast. Any later comparison can return to the same fixed baseline: winner 55,809, runner-up 50,890, third candidate 33,863, NOTA 2,573, turnout 84.17% and margin 4,919.

2018 vs 2023 Result Comparison

The statewide backdrop to the constituency result

Across the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly in 2023, the BJP won 54 seats, the Congress 35 and the Gondwana Gantantra Party one. Election Commission party-performance data records 7,234,968 votes for the BJP and 6,602,586 for the Congress statewide. Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) was one part of that larger election, but its constituency result had its own count: Renuka Singh Saruta of the BJP led with 55,809 votes and Gulab Kamro of the INC followed with 50,890. Statewide seat totals do not substitute for constituency-level evidence; the seat result is determined by the votes recorded in Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST).

From the 2018 backdrop to the 2023 count

In the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly election, Congress won 68 seats and the BJP 15. In Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST), Gulab Kamro of the INC won that year with 51,732 votes, while Champadevi Pawle of the BJP was second with 35,199. Five years later, the statewide balance of seats changed and the constituency produced a fresh count. The comparison establishes what changed in the official record; it does not by itself explain voter motives or prove a single cause for the shift.

Vote totals across 2018 and 2023

Putting the leading totals side by side sharpens the story. The 2018 winner, Gulab Kamro, had 51,732 votes; the 2023 winner, Renuka Singh Saruta, recorded 55,809. The 2018 runner-up, Champadevi Pawle, had 35,199, compared with 50,890 for 2023 runner-up Gulab Kamro. These are not direct “vote transfers” because candidates, electorate size, turnout and campaign conditions can change. They are, however, certified totals that show how the numerical shape of the contest moved from one election to the next, including a margin that changed from 16,533 to 4,919 votes.

The story told by the winning margin

The 4,919-vote margin is the central distance in the 2023 result. It was produced within an electorate of 176,696 and turnout of 84.17%. The 2018 margin had been 16,533 votes. A larger or smaller margin is a factual description of the distance between first and second place, not a standalone measure of political strength. Explaining why a margin changed would require campaign, booth-level or survey evidence beyond the aggregate result.

Third place and the votes outside the top two

Shyam Singh Markam received 33,863 votes and NOTA 2,573, showing that the Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) count extended beyond the two leading candidates. The third-place total was larger than the winning margin. That comparison helps describe the structure of the result, but it does not imply that those votes belonged to either leading candidate in a hypothetical two-way contest. The certified result records each choice separately, and this article keeps those categories separate.

The 2023 timeline from polling to counting

Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) was among the Chhattisgarh constituencies that voted on 17 November 2023, with counting and declaration of results on 3 December. Votes cast through EVMs and eligible postal ballots formed the final official count. Against turnout of 84.17% and an electorate of 176,696, Renuka Singh Saruta reached 55,809 votes, Gulab Kamro finished on 50,890, and the distance between them settled at 4,919. Once the result was declared, those figures became the constituency’s certified 2023 electoral record and the basis for any later historical comparison.

Votes recorded beyond the top two candidates

The winner and runner-up together received 106,699 votes. Against approximate participation of 148,725, a substantial part of the count was therefore recorded outside the top two as well, including 33,863 for Shyam Singh Markam, 2,573 for NOTA and votes for other candidates. This matters because the constituency was not a ballot containing only two choices. Those votes cannot be reassigned to one side after the fact; each candidate and NOTA was a separate choice in the certified count, and the final ranking reflects those actual choices.

How representation changed between 2018 and 2023

Gulab Kamro was elected from Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) in 2018; Renuka Singh Saruta won in 2023. The five-year comparison is more than a change of names because the scale of the vote also moved. The 2018 winner had 51,732 votes and the runner-up 35,199, while the leading 2023 totals were 55,809 and 50,890. The margin changed from 16,533 to 4,919. That makes 2023 a new reference point in the constituency’s electoral history, with candidate, party, turnout, vote totals and margin all available for later comparison.

The clearest conclusion from the result

Four points can be stated from the Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) result without adding speculation. First, Renuka Singh Saruta won with 55,809 votes. Second, Gulab Kamro was runner-up with 50,890, leaving a margin of 4,919. Third, Shyam Singh Markam received 33,863 and NOTA 2,573, confirming a measurable vote outside the top two. Fourth, compared with the 2018 Gulab Kamro versus Champadevi Pawle result, the 2023 count established a new leading order. Explaining motives, community-level behaviour or a future election would require separate evidence; the strongest foundation for a 2023 result story is the verified count itself.

Why the 2018 comparison matters for this seat

The comparison is especially useful because it prevents the 2023 result from being viewed in isolation. In 2018, Gulab Kamro led the count with 51,732 votes and Champadevi Pawle followed with 35,199; in 2023 the corresponding leading positions were occupied by Renuka Singh Saruta with 55,809 and Gulab Kamro with 50,890. The constituency itself also had a larger 2023 electorate of 176,696, so raw vote totals should be read together with turnout rather than treated as percentages of an unchanged voter base. The winning margin moved from 16,533 votes in 2018 to 4,919 in 2023. This does not prove a cause, but it gives the reader a concrete, seat-specific account of continuity and change. It also shows why a result story benefits from preserving both elections in the same record: the names, party outcome, scale of voting and distance between the top two can all change independently. For Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST), those certified figures are more informative than a generic label about whether the seat was “strong” or “weak” for any party.

Election Mandi Analysis

The official record shows a measurable change between 2018 and 2023 in Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST). Renuka Singh Saruta won in 2023 with 55,809 votes and a margin of 4,919; Gulab Kamro had 50,890, while Shyam Singh Markam polled 33,863. In 2018, Gulab Kamro had won with 51,732 votes and Champadevi Pawle was second with 35,199. The evidence therefore supports a factual comparison of candidates, party outcome, vote totals and margins, without turning the result into a prediction about a future election.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who won Bharatpur-Sonhat (ST) in 2023?

Renuka Singh Saruta of the BJP won with 55,809 votes.

Who was runner-up?

Gulab Kamro of the INC received 50,890 votes.

What was the winning margin?

4,919 votes.

Who finished third?

Shyam Singh Markam with 33,863 votes.

What was turnout?

84.17%.

How many electors were registered?

176,696.

How many votes did NOTA receive?

2,573.

Who won in 2018?

Gulab Kamro of the INC with 51,732 votes.

What was the 2018 margin?

16,533 votes.

Does the 2023 result predict the next election?

Note: It is a historical result; any future election requires fresh evidence.

Sources:

Election Commission of India, Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Election 2023 – Detailed Results, Constituency Data Summary and AC-wise Voters Information. Historical comparison: Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh / ECI, Assembly Election 2018 statistical results.