Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed confidence that people of Madhya Pradesh will extend direct support to him in the assembly elections as they did during the last two Lok Sabha polls, and will elect a "double engine" government due to their unbreakable trust in the BJP.
In a letter addressed to people of the state, Modi said he has always had a special connect with Madhya Pradesh and that is why they showered him with unlimited affection while giving the BJP unprecedented victories in the 2014 and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
He said the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh faced many hurdles before 2014 in its efforts towards the state's development and people's welfare due to the step-motherly treatment of the Congress government at the Centre.
The country has witnessed that new capacity has developed in the state after the BJP came to power at the Centre as Madhya Pradesh has moved towards a brighter future while conserving its proud history, the prime minister said in his letter in Hindi posted on X.
Madhya Pradesh has grown out of its past as a "BIMARU" state in the last 20 years and has become strong, prosperous and self-reliant, he said.
Due to people's trust in the BJP, the state has become one of the top 10 economies in the country, he said.
The prime minister said that because of the tireless efforts of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the BJP government in the last 20 years, he feels proud of the construction of over 5 lakh km roads, growth rate of over 16 per cent, piped water in over 65 lakh homes and energy production of over 28,000 MW in the state.
"It is due to you and unflagging efforts of the double-engine government that Madhya Pradesh is moving rapidly towards becoming one of the three states with biggest economy in the country," he said.
The state's development model has become a template for the country in the poor's welfare, women's progress and all-round development, the prime minister said. Over 1.36 crore people in the state have come out of the poverty line, he said.
Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 17. The ruling BJP is locked in a keen contest with opposition Congress in the state.
The BJP has been in power in the state since 2003 except for over 15 months after the 2018 assembly polls when the Congress emerged as the largest party.
The BJP swept the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh by winning 27 and 28 of the 29 seats in the state in 2014 and 2019 polls, respectively.
-With PTI Input
