In a bid to retain power for a fourth time in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been touring the state to connect with the people through his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’. The fifth phase of the yatra will enter Chambal-Gwalior region on 28 July and will continue till 29 July.

This is Chouhan’s third yatra since 2008. There is a belief that the ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ is lucky for him.

Chouhan began his 55-day yatra after offering prayers at the Mahakal Jyotirling temple at Ujjain. The yatra was flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah on 14 July and a mass public rally was organised. The CM is expected to address around 700 rallies during the yatra that will culminate in Bhopal on 25 September.

“It is the responsibility of every government to present its report of public-welfare related works to the common people in a democracy. Only the BJP and its chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have done so. He is touring the state to get the blessings of people to form government for a fourth time in succession,” the yatra in-charge and BJP’s national vice-president Prabhat Jha told The Statesman.

Chouhan will cover all 230 Assembly seats of the state during his yatra, he added.

In 2008 and 2013, Chouhan conducted two Jan Ashirwad Yatras and he emerged victorious at the hustings. This time again Chouhan will travel in a chariot, a modified mini-truck with a hydraulic platform for addressing the public.

The chariot is a state-of-the-art vehicle with modern amenities. It has a restroom for the chief minister, a television set and monitoring lounge with close circuit cameras, besides a mini refrigerator for water and soft drinks. A sofa set and a modern toilet are other facilities added to the chariot.

The Jan Aashirwad Yatra has so far covered Ujjain, Indore, Satna, Badwani, Khargone, Dhar, Damoh, Panna and Chhatarpur. The Yatra will enter Bhander constituency of Datia district on 28 July in Gwalior-Chambal region and it will cover 10 assembly seats of Datia, Bhind and Morena districts in two days. Chouhan will stay in Bhind and on 29 July the Yatra will proceed to Morena district. Chouhan’s chariot travels around 150 to 160 km daily.