Which party will win the Chhattisgarh elections? Will it be another victory for incumbent CM Raman Singh or will the Ajit Jogi-Mayawati alliance turn the tide in the favour of the Congress? Listen and find out!
Jo jeeta wohi Sikandar! That’s the line rolling off people’s tongues as the country prepares to witness the second phase of polling in the hotly-contested Chhattisgarh elections on Tuesday, 20 November.
Aaj ki badi khabar hai Chhattisgarh ka chunav.
72 constituencies of Chhattisgarh vote in the final phase of Assembly elections on Tuesday.
On 11 December, when the results are announced, only one party will emerge as the winner. Will it be BJP’s Raman Singh, or the Congress, which has not announced a CM candidate yet? Or will an underdog claim the state?
Before we jump into the politics, let’s take look at what the people want.
Water, for starters.
“If we ask a minister for a water channel, they say that the river is very far from here whereas the Shivnath river is just 9 km away. If water could be supplied through a channel from the Shivnath river, farmers’ lives in this region would be very easy. Water scarcity has led to perpetual drought in this area. This is affecting farmers.”Farmer
Seventy percent of the state relies on agriculture to survive. In September 2017, 96 tehsils in 21 districts were declared drought-affected. Left with nowhere to turn to for help, about 1,500 farmers reportedly committed suicide in the last three years.
Farmers allege that insurance companies don’t compensate them when they need them. The unfulfilled promises of minimum support price (MSP) have also left a bitter taste.
“MSP works against farmers. During elections they promise to give us Rs 2,000, but they only give it for one year. We need to ask (Chief Minister) Raman Singh whether he’ll give us the money for just one year or for all four years.”Farmer
The women of Chhattisgarh lament a similar fate. They say that the government makes big promises, but delivers little.
“The govt promised scholarships, bicycles, mobile phones, etc, but they’re yet to actually follow up and deliver on these promises. Tell them to fix the job market and we’ll buy ourselves all these expensive phones.”Student, Raipur
Fix the job market, and we’ll fix our lives ourselves. That’s the message Chhattisgarh’s women have for the state government.
Polling for 18 constituencies in the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections was held on 12 November, and the voter turnout was recorded at 76.28 percent.
Elections to Chhattisgarh’s Legislative Assembly have largely been a two-cornered fight between the BJP and the Congress. But all that may change with the Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati joining hands with Congress rebel and Janta Congress Chhattisgarh leader Ajit Jogi.
Got everything? Well, now you’re ready to follow the Chhattisgarh polls.
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