In a bizarre gesture, state Congress president Kamal Nath had on Friday written a letter to Mahakal - a form of Lord Shiva - urging him to punish the chief minister instead of blessing him for the "misdeeds" of the past five years.

Nath wrote: "Mahakalji, you know everything, he betrayed the people. Time to punish." The letter was "handed over" to Lord Shiva after an elaborate ritual at the temple, a drama not appreciated by many Congress leaders.

Nath described Chouhan's campaign as "Jan Chhalawa Yatra" (Public Deception Rally) and recalled how farmers were in distress, girls were raped regularly in the state and youths suffered because of the Vyapam scam. The Congress has decided to follow the chief minister's route to "expose" him through a Pol Khol Yatra.

Chouhan, however, claimed he had lifted Madhya Pradesh out of poverty and placed a " beemaru (sick) state" in the developed category. He also boasted of bettering farmers' lives, empowering women and ensuring the death sentence for rapists.

The chief minister hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying India had surpassed France to become the sixth-largest economy.

SOURCE:THE TELEGRAPH