Chhattisgarh: PM Modi To Attend BJP’s Parivartan Yatra in Bilaspur Today – News18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a mega-campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Saturday. PM Modi will attend the concluding ceremony of BJP’s two ‘Parivartan Yatras’ in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur today.

This is Prime Minister Modi’s third visit to the Congress-ruled state, where assembly elections are due this year-end, in the last three months.

“The prime minister will address the ‘Parivartan Mahasankalp’ rally, the closing ceremony of two Parivartan Yatras, at Science College ground here at 2 pm,” according to state BJP chief Arun Sao.

Security Up In Bilaspur Ahead of PM Modi’s Visit

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, police has put up massive security cover in place at the venue of the programme. A total of 1,500 security personnel belonging to the police force, Special Protection Group (SPG), Chhattisgarh Armed Force, National Security Guard, and Home Guard will be deployed.

A three-kilometer radius area of the city has also been declared as a “no-flying zone” and anti-drone guns have also been deployed, according to police officials.

BJP’s Parivartan Yatra In Chhattisgarh

While BJP’s first Parivartan Yatra was taken out from Dantewada (south Chhattisgarh) on September 12, the second one was rolled out from Jashpur (north Chhattisgarh) on September 15.

Both the yatras saw 83 ‘Swagat Sabhas’ (welcome gatherings), four roadshows and various public meetings before culminating at Bilaspur, covering a distance of more than 3,000 km across 87 assembly segments (out of the total 90), Sao said.

Bijapur, Sukma, and Antagarh constituencies (all Maoist-affected) have not been included in the itinerary, but people belonging to these constituencies were engaged in the yatra when it passed through the adjoining constituencies.

“Even rainfall at various places could not dampen the morale of the party leaders and workers and they enthusiastically participated in the two yatras which also saw a huge response of people,” he said.

The two yatras, which saw a participation of around 50 lakh people, have turned the wave of change into a storm, Sao said, exuding confidence that the Congress will be ousted from power in the upcoming elections.

BJP In Chhattisgarh

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress handed a massive defeat to the BJP, which had been in power for 15 years under Raman Singh. The Congress had won 68 constituencies and the BJP just 15. The Congress currently holds 71 seats.

The saffron party had last month released its first list of candidates for 21 seats, which it had ceded to the Congress in the last polls even though the Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet to announce the schedule of the upcoming assembly elections, due later this year.