The curse of Ashoknagar

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has so far never visited the famous Ashoknagar town, part of a recently carved out district of the same name. That's because of a superstition that any sitting chief minister who visits the town loses the election. As many as 11 chief ministers have lost their seats soon after visiting the town. Ashoknagar is not only beautiful but has a rich past. Located in an area famous for its Chanderi saris, it has been part of the Nanda, Maurya, Sunga and Magadh kingdoms. According to historical records Emperor Asoka spent a night en route to conquering Ujjain, and the town was named after him. So far, Chouhan has visited the Mungawali and Chanderi subdivisions of the district and, according to sources, he has made last minute changes to his planned visit five times since 2008. He has been a conspicuous presence in two massive campaigns "Atal Jyoti Abhiyan" (launched to ensure round-the-clock power supply) and an "Ashirwad Yatra" (to woo voters) everywhere in the state - except Ashoknagar.