Congress lacks ‘credible face’ in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: While Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh is all set to kick off his  ‘Vikas Yatra’ from May 11 ahead of the crucial assembly polls, lack of a credible face is becoming a major problem for the Congress in the state. Union home minister Rajnath Singh is likely to flag off the yatra, which will be in two phases.

With the Assembly elections fast approaching, the Congress continues to struggle for a face to take on Dr Singh, who is a two time chief minister and under whose leadership the BJP will go to polls again. Of the two prominent faces of the Congress in the state are PCC chief Bhupesh Baghel and CLP leader T.S. Singh Deo, but are considered to be part of separate camps.  

The chief minister, meanwhile, will not be merely embarking on his ‘Vikas Yatra,’ he also plans a major media interaction. The first phase of the yatra will start from Naxalite-infested Dantewara and culminate in Raipur on June 11, covering nearly 65 Assembly constituencies.

The ruling BJP has already set a target of Mission 65 for the 90 member Assembly. During the last polls, the BJP had bagged 49 while the Congress had managed 39 constituencies. The second phase of the yatra will commence from third week of August and will cover the remaining constituencies.

Dr Singh had embarked on similar yatras ahead of 2008 and 2013 Assembly polls.