NEW DELHI: Ahead of crucial Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of projects worth more than ₹57,000 crores during his visits to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Thursday.
In Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of a petrochemical complex at Bina Refinery, a power and renewable energy manufacturing zone in Narmadapuram, a mega industrial park in Ratlam, two IT parks in Indore, and six new industrial parks across the state. The total value of these projects is estimated to be worth ₹50,700 crores.
He will then travel to Chhattisgarh, where he will dedicate to the nation several important rail sector projects worth around ₹6,350 crores. These include the doubling of the Bilaspur-Raipur railway line, the construction of a new railway line between Bilaspur and Jagdalpur, and the electrification of the Bilaspur-Raipur-Visakhapatnam railway line.
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The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of critical care blocks in nine districts of Chhattisgarh and distribute one lakh sickle cell counselling cards.
His visit to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh comes ahead of the assembly elections in these states, which are scheduled to be held later this year. The BJP looks to retain power in Madhya Pradesh, and dethrone Congress’ Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh.
The visit is seen as an attempt by the BJP to boost its electoral chances in these states. By laying the foundation stone of these major projects, the PM is hoping to showcase the government’s commitment to development.
Meanwhile, the BJP is likely to release its second list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections after the Chief Election Commission’s meeting on Wednesday. It released its first list of 39 candidates for Madhya Pradesh and 21 for Chhattisgarh last month.
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In Chhattisgarh, BJP has strategically categorized the 90 Assembly seats into distinct groups labeled as A, B, C, and D, based on the winnability factor. The spotlight is firmly on the ‘C’ and ‘D’ categories, encompassing constituencies with varying degrees of electoral challenge. Constituencies where the BJP has lost for two or more times consecutively have been categorized as ‘C’ where ‘D’ label is reserved for seats that are extremely difficult for the party to win.
The BJP is confident of winning the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, but it is facing a tough challenge in Chhattisgarh. The Congress is hoping to capitalize on the anti-incumbency factor and regain power in Madhya Pradesh.