Congress Targets Government Over Electricity Tariff Hike, Announces Protests In Chhattisgarh

The Chhattisgarh Congress has announced a series of protests across the state against the recent 6.23 per cent increase in electricity tariffs approved by the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC), intensifying its attack on the BJP-led government over rising power costs. The tariff revision, cleared by CSERC on Monday and set to come into effect from July 1, applies across all consumer categories. It includes an increase of 30–50 paise per unit for domestic users, 20–40 paise per unit for non-domestic consumers, and 40 paise per unit for agricultural pump connections.

The revised structure also retains certain concessions for women’s self-help groups, hospitals, and tribal regions. Announcing the agitation programme, Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij said on Tuesday that the party strongly opposed the tariff hike, alleging that it would further burden households already struggling with rising electricity bills.

He accused the state government of repeatedly increasing power charges since coming to power in December 2023. Baij stated that the Congress will gherao electricity department offices in all districts on June 17 as part of its first phase of protest.

This will be followed by district-level press conferences on June 18 to highlight the party’s concerns over what it describes as “exorbitant” electricity charges imposed on consumers. He also announced a door-to-door campaign in the first week of July, during which the party will collect applications from consumers demanding the removal of smart meters.

According to Baij, the government has increased power tariffs five times since taking office and imposed additional levies such as a 12 per cent fuel surcharge, leading to a cumulative rise of 31.23 per cent in electricity costs.

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Comparing the current regime with the previous Congress government, Baij claimed that tariffs had been increased by only a marginal amount during their tenure, alongside schemes such as subsidised electricity for consumption up to 400 units. He argued that the current administration has failed to provide adequate relief despite widespread public concern over rising utility bills. The ruling BJP has not yet issued a detailed response to the allegations, while the announcement is expected to set the stage for a politically charged confrontation over electricity pricing and consumer costs in the state.

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