Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to address two rallies in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division on Thursday, a crucial move for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it intensifies campaigning for the upcoming state elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 7 and 17.
According to a BJP leader, Shah's visit comes as a strategic boost to the saffron party's efforts in the Congress-ruled state. This will mark Shah's second visit to Chhattisgarh since the announcement of the election schedule for the 90-member assembly. Previously, on October 16, the former BJP president and key poll strategist had addressed an election rally in Rajnandgaon.
Shah is expected to arrive at the Maa Danteshwari Airport in Jagdalpur from New Delhi shortly after noon, reported news agency PTI. The Union Home Minister is scheduled to participate in a public meeting and nomination rally at Lalbagh Maidan in Jagdalpur. Later, he will proceed to Kondagaon, where another election meeting and nomination rally will take place at Police Ground.
Both Jagdalpur and Kondagaon are situated in the Naxal-affected Bastar division of the state.
In the first phase of polling on November 7, voting will be conducted in 20 seats, including Konta, Bijapur, Dantewada, Chitrakot, Jagdalpur, Bastar, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Keshkal, Kanker, Bhanupratappur, Antagarh, Mohla-Manpur, Khujji, Dongargaon, Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, Khairagarh, Kawardha, and Pandariya assembly segments. The remaining 70 seats will be covered in the second phase on November 17.
The BJP has announced its candidates for 86 seats, encompassing all 20 seats in the first phase. In the 2018 polls, the ruling Congress secured a landslide victory with 68 out of 90 seats. The BJP, which had governed the state for 15 years (2003-2018), was reduced to 15 seats, while the JCC (J) and the BSP won 5 and 2 seats, respectively. The current strength of the Congress in the assembly stands at 71.
(With PTI inputs.)