Raman's rath rolls out on development note

Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in November with Raman Singh eyeing for a hat-trick

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh Monday formally kicked off its election campaign with Chief Minister Raman Singh starting his 31-day Vikas Yatra with a focus on the state’s development that took place in his tenure.

Chhattisgarh would go to the polls in November with Raman Singh eyeing for a hat-trick. Development and growth of the state would be the focal point of the party’s campaign for the polls that was crucial at a time opposition Congress was pulling all the strings for a comeback.

“The aim of the Vikas Yatra is to inform the people about the achievement of the government in last nine and a half years,” Singh said before starting his 6000-km—a major portion of it to be covered by the specially designed Rath (juggernaut). They are going before the people with the government’s performance, he added.

Singh said the BJP government in last nine and a half years had prepared the base for state’s prosperity and progress. It would prepare the road map of state’s development for the next five years, Singh said, adding that the people would finally take the decision (whom to elect).  

The Vikas Yatra was flagged off by senior BJP Leader Lal Krishna Advani from Dantewada—the tribal heartland of Bastar that had a major political significance. Traditionally a strong Congress vote bank, the tribals in Chhattisgarh had switched over to the BJP.

In the last assembly election (2008), BJP bagged 11 out of the 12 seats in Bastar that paved way for the party to retain power. The BJP has 49 members in the House of 90-member with Congress not far behind with 39 members. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has two members.  

The ruling BJP would exercise to keep its tribal vote-bank intact for the ensuing state polls.

The chief minister on Monday announced and laid foundation stones for different development works in Dantewada to be executed with an estimated cost of about Rs  83 crore.

The government had also planned to distribute bonus of Rs 1600 crore to tendu patta collectors—mostly tribals—during the Yatra.  

The Yatra would conclude on June 20 in Sarguja—another tribal predominated pocket of the state.