Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who is seeking a third consecutive term, is trying to withhold the anti-incumbency fire raging against his ministers and party MLAs. He is telling people that every vote for the BJP will be a trust vote for him and the welfare schemes launched by him. 

Singh’s government has successfully run Rs 2 per kg rice, Sanjivni Express (free emergency ambulance), mehtari Express (free ambulance service for delivery of child), Smart Card health insurance and other schemes in the state. In addition to these, he has promised to introduce Laadli Yojana whereby the government will ensure that every girl child has Rs 1 lakh in her bank account when she turns 18, increase the quantity of rice disbursed under the BPL scheme (35 kg instead of 25 kg), cut down the price of rice by half (from Rs 2 per kg to Rs 1 per kg), pay bonus of Rs 300 per quintal to each farmer over and above the procurement price of rice and provide interest free loans to farmers from cooperative banks.

Addressing a public gathering in Dondi (Balod District) on November 9, Singh told people to repose confidence in him through each of their votes. “Sarkar vishwas pe banti hai (government is formed on trust). If you have trust in me, vote for the BJP,” he said. At the same time, he advised people to use their vote against the central government. Charging Manmohan Singh government with having failed to rein in prices of essential commodities and corruption, he alleged that the Congress had pushed the poor into a corner.

Singh said that the state assembly elections were a semi final and would be followed by final four months later where Narendra Modi would be his party’s candidate for prime ministership. Singh addressed the meeting to get support for Hori Lal Rawte, a serving forest officer and his party’s candidate from Dondilohara assembly constituency.

Since the meeting venue was not far off from the Naxal belt (Narayanpur and Bastar), extraordinary security arrangements were in place. People walked through metal detectors and various barricades to get into the venue and there were several layers of armed commandos to protect the Chief Minister who arrived at the venue in a helicopter.

It is obvious that the BJP is greatly banking on Raman Singh and Narendra Modi to get into power a third consecutive time. The party has pasted 3D bills on almost all its campaign vehicles and at other prominent places. The bills have interchangeable images of Singh and Modi. The party is promoting Singh as ‘chawar wale baba’ on the basis of cheap PDS ration scheme being implemented by his government in the state.