In BJP’s Raipur bastion, fresh off 8th Assembly win, Brijmohan Agrawal sits pretty despite infra concerns

This time, the BJP has fielded from the constituency one of its most prominent leaders in the state, Brijmohan Agrawal, 65, who won the Raipur South Assembly seat in the November 2023 state polls for the eighth consecutive term, becoming a minister in the party-led government for the fifth time.

To take on Agrawal, the Congress has fielded its former MLA from Raipur west Assembly segment, Vikas Upadhyay, who had lost in the 2023 election. Agrawal, whose 2023 Assembly victory margin of 67,851 votes was the highest in Chhattisgarh, now says he will “create history” in the Lok Sabha polls as well. This is his first plunge into the Lok Sabha election.

Upadhyay has alleged that the BJP as well as Agrawal have “failed” to ensure proper infrastructure and civic amenities in the capital, questioning his rival’s track record over the last three decades during which he has been an MLA in the city. “The population in Raipur increased three-fold since its formation, but its infrastructure, especially sewage and drainage, are in a shambles, and the BJP has done nothing to upgrade them over the 15 years they had been in power,” he alleged.

“(Congress leader) Vidya Charan Shukla ji had got Raipur connected with other states by train. But, during the long BJP regime since, hardly any new trains have been added… The BJP has no plans or achievements, and seeks votes only in Modi ji’s name… The BJP is using money power to fight elections, putting up boards and banners everywhere, while I’m depending on my hard work.”

Agrawal laughed off Upadhyay’s charges. ”The work I’ve done is before people’s eyes. We made the express highway, canal road, Rs 2,000 crore worth drinking water supply, road connectivity for every single village in Raipur, irrigation facilities for several villages, 5,000 schools… On the other hand, the previous Congress government did not carry out even one development work in Raipur in the last five years, when law and order and the condition of roads deteriorated,” he said.

Alleging that “Congress indulged in corruption, and lost the Assembly elections”, Agrawal also said, “If I win the Raipur parliamentary seat, my top priority will be to make Raipur an education hub, provide good medical facilities and give it the best connectivity, by road, railway, airport or internet.”

Responding to criticism that the erstwhile Raman Singh-led BJP government had invested several crores in a Skywalk project in Raipur that is still unfinished amid the buzz that it could be demolished to make way for a monorail, Agrawal said, “There is no need to demolish the Skywalk. We will complete it, which will be an important facility. For monorail, we can use the expressway, the canal road, or the new super expressway from Arang to Durg.”

Regarding the city’s needs, Shashank Sharma, an educationist, said, “A few decades ago, there were 140 ponds in Raipur. Many of them were filled up to build colonies. Now, there are fewer than 90 left. These ponds once provided water to the entire city, which was known as the city of ponds. Today, the city’s sewage lines flow into these ponds, which have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The ponds need to be cleaned, and we need a new drainage system, either involving many small sewage treatment plants or a big one. We can’t depend on the Gangrel dam forever. Sooner or later, the city will face a water crisis.”

Over a decade ago, the then Raman Singh government sought to establish New Raipur to decongest the capital, around 26 km away. But it’s still perceived as a ghost town. Manish Patel, a city businessman, said, “Land rates in New Raipur are unaffordable for the poor and the middle class. Even though two decades have passed, New Raipur does not have basic amenities like good public transport, markets and affordable education. Instead, they have shifted the Mantralaya (state secretariat) and other government departments to the ghost town, making it inaccessible.”

A Raipur-based ENT surgeon Dr Rakesh Gupta pointed out that dusty roads and air pollution due to industrialisation in Raipur is a major concern and is leading to health issues. Senior journalist Sunil Kumar said noise pollution has been a menace for senior citizens, who have remained “helpless due to police inaction despite court orders”.

Former IAS officer Sushil Trivedi, however, said, “In most aspects like education, health, water, electricity and connectivity, Raipur has achieved a lot more in a shorter span compared to other cities. This time, we need a Union government to tackle national issues like inflation, communal tension, unemployment with strong leadership.”