In 'Digital India,' Chhattisgarh BJP hands out free phones to win votes

Raman Singh is using the government-issued devices to reach voters as he campaigns in legislative elections

Forget the old American campaign slogan of a chicken in every pot, or the Indian politician’s common pledge to put rice in every bowl.

Here in the state of Chhattisgarh, the chief minister, Raman Singh, has promised a smartphone in every home -— and he is using the government-issued devices to reach voters as he campaigns in legislative elections that conclude on Tuesday.

Chain Sahu, a mother of two who cooks at a school on the outskirts of Mr. Singh’s district in Rajnandgaon, said her free phone rang last Sunday, just before her village voted. The caller, who claimed to be from