BJP chief seeks 70,000 victory margin for Raman Singh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Saturday called upon the voters to ensure the victory Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon seat with a lead of over 70,000 votes against his rival in the ensuing Assembly polls. Singh's victory margin from Rajnandgaon was over 35,000 votes in the last polls. Congress has fielded Karuna Shukla, niece of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee against Singh.

Addressing an election rally here, Shah said: "If an MLA wins in some other constituency, he will remain an MLA. If Dr Raman Singh wins, he will become the chief minister. So to take full benefits from him, you will have to ensure that he wins by a huge margin. I give you a target to make him victorious by over 70,000 votes."

He also urged the people to ensure the constituency witnesses a voter turnout of over 80 per cent on November 12. "When you go out to vote on November 12, you have to choose between a corruption, lies and scandal filled Congress party and a development-centric BJP. Singh did not even think of his life while taking on Naxals in the state. He has made Chhattisgarh safe," Shah said.

Shah also highlighted the contributions of the Chief Minister in ensuring overall development of the state. "He made roads, factories, houses, brought trains, electricity in the state. Modi ji got toilets, gas cylinders and implemented health programmes for the poor. I ask what the Congress has done for the state," he said.

BJP chief further said: "What good will the Congress will do here? They don't have a leader, no policy, no determination, no direction. They can't develop this state. For 55 years, when they ruled over the state, from the panchayats to the Parliament, they didn't make any progress. In the past 15 years, Dr Raman Singh has tried to open all those closed doors of development in the state."

Campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh concluded on Saturday evening. Polling for the first phase, which includes 18 constituencies across eight Naxal affected districts, will be held on November 12, while the remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 11. A total of 1,291 candidates are in the fray for the two-phased elections.