Raman Singh's confidant Amar Agrawal trying to keep hold amid uncertainties due to Ajit Jogi factor

BILASPUR: Amar Agrawal says in public speeches that his dream is to make Bilaspur a ‘smart city’ and the best place to live in Chhattisgarh. He is the urban development minister and he is finding eager audiences in his constituency of the past two decades which can be reached in just twoand-a-half hours from Raipur, thanks to a cemented highway that is now being expanded.

The BJP sees this as a safe seat, although a statue of ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi in the middle of the city is a reminder of the time when the Congress won it continuously till 1990. But the BJP has never lost Bilaspur since 1998, with Agrawal, a conf i -dant of CM Raman Singh, winning it four times since.

Bilaspur, which has a bench of the high court, an air strip and the prominent CIMS Hospital, was ranked 13 among India’s most liveable cities in September on the Ease of Living Index released by the central government.

Not everything is hunky-dory in Bilaspur, however. The depleted and polluted Arpa river is a sore point for locals who have held sit-ins and protests. The Congress has latched onto the issue in an attempt to make a mark in the BJP bastion.

A new factor here is a candidate from Ajit Jogi’s party, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J), which has some influence in Bilaspur district. However, the BJP is confident of winning Bilaspur city seat.