A new adventurous side of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel came to the fore on Thursday as he donned a red shirt, black leather jacket and sunshades and rode a bike on the CM House campus to promote the National Supercross Bike Racing Tournament that is to be held at Raipur on March 5 and 6.
A video of the chief minister riding the bike was shared on his official Twitter account, as it promoted the event organised by the Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association (CGMSA) at the Budhatalab outdoor stadium of Raipur.
“Let's make this weekend memorable with CGMSA. You are welcome on 5-6th of March for an epic event under graceful and youth oriented leadership of CM. Join National Supercross Bike Racing and ride with pride,” the video caption said.
The video got some interesting comments from Twitter users, although there were several negative comments also attracting the attention of the CM on different issues in the state.
Calling him by the popular sobriquet kaka one user said he (Baghel) should have been a movie hero instead of being a politician; another said 'you are a rockstar, our kaka always rocks', while another said 'mauj kar di kaka' (this is fun).
Baghel normally dons very simple attire of white cotton pyjama-kurta, sometimes with a Nehru jacket for his public appearances, which is why his new look went viral on social media.
National Supercross Bike Racing
In a press release, the secretary of the Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association, Umesh Bansi said that while there would be a practice session on March 5 at 1.30pm, the tournament will be inaugurated on March 6 at 4pm. Riders from all over the country will participate in the country on a track being prepared by an expert team from Pune.
The supercross bike racing event will be followed by a freestyle motorsport event by international riders in which riders will engage in stunt and acrobatic actions. Barricades are being installed around the track for safety.
On March 6, among the attractions will be 11-year-old biker Alina Mansoor Shaikh, who has competed in many championships, 12-year-old bike rider Anastaya and 9-year-old Yash Shinde, one of the country's youngest dirt bike riders.
The association's media in-charge Atul Srivastava said that there will be 10 rounds under 'foreign open' competition, five in class two under 'novice' category, six under 'Indian in class three' and five under 'Chhattisgarh residents in class four'. Each class will have at least half a dozen bike riders.
On March 5, spectators can watch the practice session without any pass. On March 6, only those invited would be allowed to enter the venue, the association said.
