Chouhan's assembly segment lacks basic facilities: Congress

The assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh represented by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the last three terms lacks even basic facilities and infrastructure, said Congress leader Arun Yadav who is in the fray from the seat.

Budhni in Sehore district has been electing Chouhan for the last three terms and he is contesting again from the seat as the BJP candidate in the November 28 assembly polls.

Yadav, a former Union minister, is contesting against Chouhan.

"The chief minister has been the MLA for 15 years from Budhni, but whether it is a tribal village, Dalit mohalla (colony) or villages, all are without basic amenities," he said Thursday.

"Even basic facilities like roads and water are not available to them. The area has been given to those close to chief minister who have created an atmosphere of fear among the people," Yadav said at a press conference.

He cited voting records of various polling booths during the past two elections and said in many booths, the Congress managed to get only 5, 7 or 10 votes, which smacks of irregularities.

"We will submit a memorandum to the Election Commission demanding extra vigil on such booths," he said.

Despite being the chief minister's constituency, Budhni has a large number of unemployed youths and cows are often seen loitering on its streets, Yadav said.

Unemployment is at its peak in the region and in the name of setting up industries, the Chouhan government forcibly acquired a large chunk of land from farmers and gave it to two industrial groups, he alleged.

In both these industries, instead of local youths, jobs were given to "outsiders", Yadav claimed.