Chouhan spends Rs 4 cr to seek women's blessings

The postmen in Madhya Pradesh have been saddled with a rather unenviable job of distributing over 1.1 crore identical letters Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written to his "sisters and nieces" for Raksha Bandhan.

He has sought their blessings for the Assembly elections due by the end of the year — an initiative that will cost Rs 4 crore. The BJP said the party will bear the costs.

The postal department is now in a fix, given the sheer number of letters and the acute shortage of postmen in the state.

With postal letters having become obsolete with the arrival of e-mail, the number of postmen have dwindled drastically over the years.

The chief minister has urged his "sisters and nieces" to acknowledge the receipt of the letters through a toll-free mobile number or WhastApp.

The postal department on Sunday made special arrangements for sorting and distributing the letters. Special boxes and counters have been put up in post offices across the state. The letters are being dispatched in bags with a capacity of 1,000 letters each. 4,000 such bags have been specially prepared.

The Madhya Pradesh postmaster general has asked all divisional heads to ensure the smooth distribution of the letters. A deputy superintendent-level officer has been made nodal officer for the task.

BJP sources say the chief minister is very popular among women and girls because of his image as a "mama" (maternal uncle).