Congress hopes big in Bastar’s Kanker seat that it lost narrowly in 2019, against BJP’s anti-conversion face

There is another change. Kanker, which has always seen bipolar contests, will have a third contestant this year. An 80-year-old Netam, who now heads his own tribal party, Hamar Raj, has fielded Vinod Nagvanshi as the party tries to find a foothold in its first elections.

Nagvanshi says: “Neither the Congress nor the BJP is speaking on tribal issues. Kanker needs a major hospital, good higher education institutions. There are six mines here, but no technical institutes to help locals get jobs in the mines.”

The tribal-dominated Kanker district, jutting into Maharashtra, is dry, hilly and impoverished, though agriculture remains its biggest profession. Among the top demands of residents are a bypass road for the arterial Keshkal Valley road to Bastar, tap water supply to villages, and a railway line connecting Kanker to Dhamtari district.

“The biggest issue in several villages is the lack of tap water supply. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, elevated water tanks have been erected and pipes have been laid, but where is the water? It’s been two years now,” asks Roshan Zamir, Nagar Panchayat chairperson for Keshkal.

The BJP is banking on its call for “protection of Sanatan Dharma” to override voter concerns. “Sanatan ki raksha karna hai, Bhojraj ko jeetana hai (To protect Sanatan, make Bhojraj victorious)” is one of the slogans used by the party.

The party has fielded Bhojraj Nag from Kanker, replacing sitting MP Mohan Mandavi. Nag is a priest, grassroots activist and former MLA, who has worked his way up the party ranks. Known for his controversial statements, he has been the party’s face in Bastar in its campaign against alleged conversions of tribals.

Nag is among the BJP leaders who has received threats from Maoists, who have killed several leaders of the party in the recent past.

The Congress has given a second chance to its third-generation leader, Biresh Thakur, 55, who lost the 2019 elections to Mandavi by 6,914 votes. Thakur is the only candidate whom the Congress has given a second chance in the state. His grandfather and father were both Congress MLAs, while his two brothers are in the IPS.

Thakur says the BJP’s Mandavi did nothing. “To even get the people electricity, we need the Central government’s permission. They have no road or bridge. At one place in Bhanupratappur, we need a water reservoir. Since Nehruji’s era, no new reservoir has been built for the locals there.”

Nag dismisses the challenge posed by Thakur, saying no candidate can stand “in front of Modiji’s tsunami”.