Fight Mode On
THE WEEK|July 01, 2018

As Chhattisgarh is going to the polls towards the end of the year, the main contenders have started work

Pratul Sharma/Raipur
Fight Mode On

Elections maybe six months away, but Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is not taking any chances. The longest serving BJP chief minister has already conducted two yatras this year to gauge the public mood, and to tackle any possible anti-incumbency feeling against his third consecutive tenure.

The opposition regrouping could make his electoral battle tougher this time. In the resource-rich state, dominated by tribal population, the BJP and the main opposition party—the Congress—have been able to retain their vote share in last three assembly elections. But, the difference between the BJP and the Congress vote share was only 0.7 per cent in 2013.

So, it is crucial for Singh to tomtom his initiatives in the backward state. In his Dilip Chhabria-designed bulletproof bus, named Vikas Rath, the chief minister is visiting various constituencies. He is literally handing over letters and cheques of various government schemes, and people, particularly women, are flocking to his rallies with the hope of getting the largesse.

Another innovative step taken by Singh is the crediting of bonuses to the bank accounts of farmers. “It is bonuses worth ₹1,700 crore that we are distributing. It is a matter of great enthusiasm for the farmers as we are transferring their dues to their accounts [live during the rally], at the rate of ₹300 per kilogram for paddy,” says Singh.

The yatra is also the time to lay foundation stones for all possible projects, however small it maybe, before the model code of conduct kicks in. He has already committed projects worth ₹30,000 crore.

This story is from the July 01, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 01, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEKView All
Divides And Dividends
THE WEEK India

Divides And Dividends

Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Playing it cool
THE WEEK India

Playing it cool

Everybody knows what 420 means in the Indian context. But in American parlance it is something very different: four-twenty or 4/20 or April 20 denotes cannabis celebration; its cultural references are rooted in the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
The heroine's new clothes
THE WEEK India

The heroine's new clothes

Who else but Sanjay Leela Bhansali could bring on a wardrobe reset like the one in his just-dropped period piece—an eight-part Netflix series called Heeramandi?

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
AI & I
THE WEEK India

AI & I

Through her book Code Dependent—shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction—Madhumita Murgia gives voice to the voiceless multitudes impacted by artificial intelligence

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Untold tales from war
THE WEEK India

Untold tales from war

Camouflaged is a collection of 10 deeply researched stories, ranging from the world wars to the 26/11 terror attacks

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Hair force
THE WEEK India

Hair force

Sheetal Mallar, in her photobook Braided, uses hair as a metaphor to tell a story that is personal yet universal

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES
THE WEEK India

THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES

The first time Adarsh Gourav made an impression was in Ramin Bahrani's 2021 film The White Tiger, a gripping adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker-winning novel.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
The art of political protest
THE WEEK India

The art of political protest

The past doesn’t always remain in the past. Sometimes, it emerges in the present, reminding us about the universality and repetitiveness of the human experience. Berlin’s George Grosz Museum, a tiny gem, is a startling reminder that modern political and social ills are not modern. Grosz lived through World Wars I and II, shining a torch into the heart of darkness in high-ranking men and women—who were complicit in the collapse of the world as they knew it.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES
THE WEEK India

REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES

A Chennai company is making waves in the world of space tech startups

time-read
6 mins  |
May 19, 2024
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
THE WEEK India

DIVERSITY IN UNITY

THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE US HAS SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, THERE ARE WIDELY DIFFERING OPINIONS AND FEELINGS

time-read
5 mins  |
May 19, 2024