Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the BJP’s campaign for the coming Lok Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh with a roadshow in Jabalpur, that goes to polls in the first phase on April 19.
This was the Prime Minister’s first visit to the State after the announcement of polls. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, State government Minister Rakesh Singh and BJP’s Jabalpur candidate Ashish Dubey were present at the roadshow.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Modi said the BJP governments had worked for a better infrastructure and road connectivity in the region.
“Today the roadshow in Jabalpur was amazing! The enthusiasm and passion of my family members here is telling that we are going to get the blessings for a third term. Along with better infrastructure and roads, we have done unprecedented work in every field here. This has given new wings to the development of Jabalpur,” Mr. Modi wrote.
The Prime Minister hit out at the Congress and alleged that the people of Jabalpur had “long seen the anti-people politics” of the Opposition party.
“My family members in Jabalpur have seen the anti-people politics of the Congress for a long time. They have always supported the BJP. We will leave no stone unturned in the development of this entire region in the coming times,” he added.
Mr. Modi said that in the coming five years, the BJP would prioritise the sectors such as MSME, urban infrastructure and tourism to improve the economy of the area.
“All our efforts will be to make the lives of the people of Jabalpur easier,” he added.
Along with Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi, Shahdol, Chhindwara, Mandla, and Balaghat will go to polls on April 19.
The Congress has fielded Dinesh Yadav from Jabalpur.
The constituency was earlier represented by Mr. Singh constantly since 2004. He, however, vacated the seat after he became an MLA in the 2023 Assembly elections.
Jabalpur is a prominent constituency in the State’s tribal-dominated Mahakoshal region. The BJP, that had won 28 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats of the State in 2019, lost only Mahakoshal region’s Chhindwara seat which went to the Congress with former Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath winning from there.
Congress stronghold
The Mahakoshal region has traditionally been a stronghold of the Congress, especially in the Assembly polls. However, the BJP made significant gains in the 2023 Assembly polls, winning 21 out of 38 seats of the region.
The Mandla Lok Sabha seat also falls under the region where the BJP has again fielded Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste. Mr. Kulaste, however, had recently lost the Assembly polls from Niwas seat falling under his Lok Sabha segment.
The Prime Minister’s roadshow in Jabalpur is believed to impact nearby seats in the region and energise the party cadre. Mr. Modi is also scheduled to hold a rally in Balaghat on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari demanded that Mr. Modi answer questions about corruption allegations against BJP leaders, including the infamous Vyapam scam.
“The Prime Minister should tell who is the real culprit of Vyapam scam? Why till today it is not known who the real accused is?” Mr. Patwari asked, addressing reporters in Bhopal.
The Congress leader also alleged that the State government had withdrawn 60 cases of corruption out of total 265 cases filed by the Lokayukta.
“A few days ago, the Lokayukta team sought permission to file cases against former Chief Secretary and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Why did the government not give permission to file cases?” Mr. Patwari asked.
