As polls near, Chhattisgarh CM begins campaign from Maoist hotbed of Sukma

Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh Saturday kickstarted the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for the assembly election from Konta constituency in Sukma district.

In the first phase of the elections, 18 Maoists-affected constituencies will vote on November 12.

“I appeal to the people of the region to vote for the BJP because development is visible here. My task is to get 60 plus seats,” the CM said while campaigning for party’s Konta candidate Dhani Ram Barse in Dornapal, about 35km from district headquarters.

Singh accused the Congress of “giving nothing in the last 50 years“ to the tribals in the region. “We have made all attempts for their betterment,” he said.

He also held the Maoists responsible for “creating hurdles in the development works” but said his government was “constructing roads to link villages.”

Later in the evening, Singh attended a rally in Geedam in Dantewada for party candidate Bheema Mandavi. “What did Congress do when it was in power? We have given a new identity to the people of Dantewada.”

As many as 190 candidates, including Singh (from Rajnandgaon), will be in the fray for 18 seats (12 reserved for Scheduled Tribes and one for Scheduled Castes) during the first phase. The remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls on November 20.

“As many as 421 candidates had filed their nominations for the first phase, but papers of only 231 aspirants were found valid. Of them, 41 withdrew their nominations, leaving 190 in fray,” public relations officer for Chhattisgarh chief electoral officer said.