Bhupesh Baghel, The Man Of The Moment In Chhattisgarh

The Congress is pinning its hopes on Bhupesh Baghel for a second consecutive term in Chhattisgarh, one of the three heartland states going to polls in November. The Chief Minister appears to be the man of the moment, laying down an election agenda that even the BJP is forced to respond to.  

The Congress thinks a second term is tantalizingly close, with Mr Baghel, over the last five years, claiming to have improved the state's performance on multiple parameters including agriculture and education and placing it on the path to progress.  

The state government says it has also performed well in reining in the Maoists, who wiped out the entire Congress top rung in 2013 with at attack at Jeeram Ghati.     

Mr Baghel is the man credited with revitalizing the party in the state. He not only rebuilt it from the grassroots, but also led it to victory in the 2018 elections, sweeping out the BJP that enjoyed three terms in power and their popular Chief Minister Raman Singh.

What worked for the Congress in 2018 was not only anti-incumbency and rural distress that was grossly underestimated by the BJP.  

Mr Baghel, despite a low pitch campaign, had managed to get the party's pro-poor and pro-farmer message across. The Congress had achieved a landslide victory, winning 67 of the state's 90 seats and reducing the BJP to just 18 seats.  

This time, the Chief Minister has played one of his winning cards -- Kisani -- early in the match, promising loan waiver for farmers, who comprise around 90 per cent of the state's population. For them, he has also upped the minimum support price of rice, another move that has gained a lot of support.  

For the rural poor with economically unviable cattle, he has also crafted a programme to purchase cow dung for Rs 2 kg -- an initiative giving the BJP a run for its money.  

The Opposition party has also been outmaneuvered on the subject of religion, with the state government piggybacking on the Ram temple issue. The temple here that is being rebuilt ad revitalized is one to Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Ram, said to be a princess from these parts.  

In 2018, Mr Baghel was one of the four contenders for the top post -- one of them being his longtime rival TS Singh Deo. This time too, the party has not officially projected him for a second term in the job. But it has placed him in the position of the undisputed leader, extending a helping hand to curb factionalism in the state.  

Mr Baghel will be contesting from his stronghold Durg -- from where he won the assembly polls five times.

Chhattisgarh will vote in the first phase on November 7 along with Mizoram.  The second phase is due 10 days later, on November 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.