Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the people of Chhattisgarh will give his party their “full blessings” in the forthcoming general elections as he prepared to open the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign there on Monday afternoon.
In the Bastar Lok Sabha constituency, which is set for elections on April 19, PM Modi is expected to speak at a public gathering in Aamabal hamlet in Bhanpuri.
In a post on X in Hindi, PM Modi highlighted the rich heritage of the people of Chhattisgarh, stating, “My family members of Chhattisgarh, rich with glorious heritage, are going to give their full blessings to BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Here in Bastar, I will be among my tribal brothers and sisters today at around 1:30 pm.”
For the Bastar constituency, the BJP has nominated Mahesh Kashyap, while the Congress has chosen its senior tribal leader and former minister Kawasi Lakhma to contest the Bastar (ST) seat, replacing its sitting MP Deepak Baij, who also serves as the president of the state Congress unit.
The elections in the 11 parliamentary constituencies of Chhattisgarh are scheduled to take place in three phases on April 19, 26, and May 7, with the counting of votes set for June 4.
In the previous two Lok Sabha elections, the BJP demonstrated a strong presence in the state, winning 9 seats in 2019 and 10 seats in 2014. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress (INC) secured only 2 seats in 2019 and one seat in 2014.
Following the recent transition of power from the Congress to the BJP after the assembly election, Chhattisgarh awaits to see which party will prevail in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has already announced its candidates for all 11 seats, including Brijmohan Agarwal from Raipur and Mahesh Kashyap from Bastar. Additionally, the BJP has fielded three women candidates for the Lok Sabha election.
On the other hand, the Congress has also unveiled its list of candidates, with former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel selected for Rajnandgaon, Tamradhwaj Sahu for Mahasamund, and Rajendra Sahu for Durgand.