RAIPUR : Chhattisgarh is all set to witness a direct fight between the Congress and BJP in an extension of the Assembly polls, which the Congress won with a landslide to be back in power after 15 years.
The BJP, which ruled Chhattisgarh for three terms, had won 10 of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, but the Congress winning 68 of the 90 Assembly seats last December, did point to changed equations.
PM Modi continues to be BJP’s biggest hope as it tries to repeat its ‘perfect ten’ score, even opting for a tribal leader Vikram Usendi to control the backlash witnessed last year.Following the recent visit of BJP chief Amit Shah to Raipur, Usendi convened a meeting of senior party leaders and all MPs on Monday to chart the strategy to take on chief minister Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress, which is buoyant after the last win.
The Congress is optimistic of a turnaround in its fortunes in the Lok Sabha. “The previous three Lok Sabha poll results went against us. The people of the state have now rejected Raman Singh Raj and will reject Narendra Modi, under whom, there is no significant narrative to go by”, said chief minister Baghel.