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With Assembly elections less than six months away, the ruling Congress is riding high on the several welfare schemes implemented by it in the last four-and-a-half years, while the opposition BJP is hoping to make a difference by alleging corruption, as revealed by Enforcement Directorate raids, and banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schemes.
In its 23 years of existence, Chhattisgarh has been a two-party state. The Sarva Adivasi Samaj, a social organisation led by Arvind Netam, 80, an estranged Congress leader who was a Cabinet minister in the Indira Gandhi government, wants to change that this year. It formed an eponymous political party in May this year, and hopes to create a third front by joining hands with smaller parties like the CPI, among others. Amit Jogi, son of former Chief Minister late Ajit Jogi, is also trying to revive the state’s only other significant regional party, the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh-Jogi. The party won five seats in 2018, but it has come down to one MLA, Dr Renu Jogi, with two MLAs having passed away and two others hobnobbing with the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too will be trying out its luck in the state again, this time on all its 90 Assembly seats. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alongside Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, addressed a rally in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, talking about Delhi’s governance transformation under AAP rule. Kejriwal targeted both the Congress and BJP, alleging poor administrative work in the last 23 years, seeking a chance for his party. In the last polls, the AAP contested 85 seats and lost on all, garnering a total 1.23 lakh votes.
As the election date nears, the Congress is also setting its house in order. A long-unhappy T S Singh Deo, who was beaten by Bhupesh Baghelin the race for chief ministership in 2018, was recently made Deputy CM. The Congress hopes this will help the party electorally in the Surguja division, where Singh Deo, an ex-royal, is influential. Veteran tribal face Nand Kumar Sai, a big catch that the Congress weaned away from the BJP, has been made chairman of Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC). The 77-year-old is expected to help the Congress garner tribal votes. The party has also set in motion booth-level training of workers, and it is set to be completed by next week. The training includes combating the BJP on social media, and its “lies”.
Congress leaders The Indian Express spoke to said CM Baghel has prepared the ground for a comeback. Apart from welfare schemes, Baghel has taken on the BJP on the Hindutva front, launching a ‘Ram Van Gaman Path’, ensured outreach to different groups, and emphasised the cultural identity of the state by creating a sense of regional pride. On her maiden trip to Maoist-hit Bastar this year, senior leader Priyanka Gandhi indicated the high command’s full support for Baghel by showering praise on him and hinting that he is likely to continue as CM if the Congress wins.
Sushil Anand Shukla, chief of the Congress media cell, said, “We believe we will cross the 75-seat mark, which is our slogan, while the BJP will win less than 10 seats. Under the Bhupesh Model, Chhattisgarh is the only state in India where farmers are not committing suicide, but are instead happy because they are getting the best price for their paddy. We have waived off farmers loans too. From next year, we will buy more paddy and at a higher price. The number of registered paddy farmers has increased significantly because of our welfare scheme.”
Shukla added: “We have a low unemployment rate compared to other states. In urban areas, lakhs of citizens have benefited from halved electricity bills. Not only BPL, but even APL card holders are getting subsidised rations. Over a lakh people benefited from Mitaan Yojna and got important government certificates made without any hassles. On the education front, we have opened two new universities and six more medical colleges, taking the total to 11.”
To strengthen his image, Baghel has since last year been visiting Assembly constituencies as part of his interactive initiative named “Bhet Mulakat”. As part of the plan to cover all 90 constituencies, the CM interacts with the public, takes questions and demands and promises to fulfil them. These include promising construction of schools, colleges, public grounds, meeting halls for different communities and even paying for medical treatment from the Chief Minister’s funds.
Ravi Ghosh, a Congress general secretary who hails from Bastar, said, “Tribals are happy as they are getting more money and for a larger varities of forest produce. We have empowered them with Rural Industrial Parks (RIPA) where they can process their produce and set up their own markets. Bastar has benefited from Haath Bazaar clinics and Atmanand schools.”
When asked why the BJP appears to be struggling in the state, another general secretary, Amarjeet Chawla said, “They do not have a credible face and their leadership is in question. The Congress will win comfortably.”
Shukla said, “BJP state leaders have lost face, and are now depending on central leaders.” Chawla added, “The BJP tried to create communal tension in Kawardha, Narayanpur and Biranpur, but people here are clear-sighted and believe in communal harmony.”
With four BJP functionaries murdered by Maoists in Bastar, the party activities in the tribal region have also taken a hit. Keeping the general elections in mind next year, senior BJP leaders like J P Nadda, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, during their visits to the state, have focused on PM Modi in their speeches, and with no alternative CM face around, put their weight behind former three-time CM Raman Singh, under whom the party suffered its rout in 2018. BJP workers said they are hoping for a revamp during ticket distribution, which will bring a breath of fresh air.
BJP spokesperson Kedar Gupta said they are confident the party will make a comeback. “The ED raids show that people close to the Congress leadership are corrupt, be it the liquor scam or coal scam. Secondly, the Congress has burdened the state with loans worth over Rs 50,000 crore. They could not ban liquor. Baghel has spent money only on PR and advertisements. Thirdly, we will give people a law to stop forcible conversions and will make announcements related to education.”
Anurag Agarwal, the state co-in-charge of media for the Chhattisgarh BJP, said, ‘We will talk about the 15 years of development done by the BJP and how the Congress has failed to implement Central government schemes. Zero work has been done on infrastructure by the Congress. They undermined their own slogan ‘Bhupesh hai toh bharosa hai (If Bhupesh is there, trust is there), by making T S Singh Deo the Deputy CM. People are thinking, has the Congress lost faith in Bhupesh? This power struggle between the duo will show at the time of ticket distribution.”
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