A special bus used by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for campaigning today got stuck in a dried up river in the district for nearly an hour during a road show for the May 20 Ghodadongri bypoll.
The bus, which has an upper portion designed in a shape of a rath (chariot), is generally used by Chouhan to campaign during election period. However, the vehicle got stuck in the sand while crossing the Morand river near Dhamanya village.
As the 'chariot' could not move further, Chouhan had to disembark and continue with his roadshow in another vehicle.
According to party sources, the Chief Minister expressed annoyance at BJP leaders over taking this route.
Local villagers, with the help of a tractor, managed to pull the bus out of sand in an hour's time, eyewitnesses said.
The chariot then joined Chouhan at Fofalya village, where he again addressed a meeting from his special bus.
Chief Minister had started today's road show from Bhoura around 9 AM and later proceeded to Bana Behda, Hadipani, Sonadehi, Kuppa, Kasmaarkhandi, Dandari, Barojpur villages.
Besides Chouhan, Ministers Rampal Singh and Gauri Shankar Shejwar and former OSD to Chief Minister Arun Bhatt, among others were present in the chariot at the time of the incident, party sources added.
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Meanwhile, Chouhan also said that his government has been constructing 600 fully equipped hostels for SC/ST students across the state.
"The construction of 600 fully equipped hostels for SC/ST students is being carried out across the state. Of these, the construction of 280 hostels has been completed," the Chief Minister said while dedicating the Scheduled Caste Skill Development Boys Hostel at Shyamla Hills here.
"The modern and permanent arrangements for the students have been made in these hostels," he added.
The fully equipped hostel at Shyamla Hills was built at a cost of Rs 1.94 crore.
