Mercury hovers over 47 degrees at Nagbhid town in Chandrapur district, which is a part of Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. Unmindful of the scorching heat, the BJP is holding its election rally at the town square and the sitting MP of the constituency Ashok Nete is seeking votes.

BusinessLine caught up with him on the campaign trail and tried to understand the issues faced by his constituency.

Nete, who is currently representing this constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, said Gadchiroli-Chimur is the largest underdeveloped and inaccessible constituency in the country. The biggest problem here other than Naxal violence is jobs for the youth.

However, the area has an abundance of natural resources and mining potential for iron, manganese and dolomite. This area has remained virtually cut off from the country and the scope of development is nil due to lack of good roads and railway network, he added.

“But due to the attention paid by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, road and infrastructure works of ₹15,000 crore are underway in this area,” Nete said. The MP is hopeful that better connectivity will bring new businesses and industries in the area.

Nete, who is also a former MLA from the region, said work on five check dams of ₹5,000 crore is also underway. This will be a boon as it will help irrigate a huge area and farmers will be able to reap two crops in a year. However, on the issue of Naxal violence, Nete said the forces are doing their job well and did not want to comment further. But he said that with the amount of development happening in the region, people who have taken to guns must shun violence and join the mainstream. Vaman Parate, a 40-year-old farmer from Vaijapur village said he is a BJP voter because of the commendable work done by Nete under the leadership of PM Modi. “Unless Nete gets elected Modi sarkar will not get elected,” he said.

Parate added that his farmland has received agriculture insurance cover, which had never happened in the past. The recent instalment of ₹2,000 from Modi government is a great move. He hopes the money will increase after the Parliamentary election.

However, Suraj Shende from Vilambhasle village near Nagbhid town, who is studying at an ITI polytechnic, said his family has not received any money under Jandhan scheme. “Politicians show their face and work only during elections. They could have made jobs available before elections,” he said.

Gadchiroli–Chimur constituency comprises six Vidhan Sabha segments – Amgaon, Armori, Gadchiroli, Aheri, Brahmapuri and Chimur. It will cast its vote on April .

Out of the 48 constituencies in Maharashtra, Gadchiroli-Chimur is the largest. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Nete of BJP had won with a margin of almost 2.36 lakh votes. He will contest against Nandev Dalluji Usendi of the Congress.

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