Move over, national political stalwarts. The battle for the hustings in this tribal-dominated state is virtually centered around BJP chief minister Raman Singh and Congress leader and former chief minister Ajit Jogi.

A look at BJP posters, advertisements and other campaign material leaves little doubt that the saffron party is trying to retain Chhattisgarh by showcasing the achievements and positive image of Singh.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee manage only a rare appearance on some of the posters.

The issues being raised in the assembly elections are also local in nature as polling for the second phase is held on Thursday.

Though Congress has not declared its chief ministerial candidate, Ajit Jogi seems to be the front-runner for the post and he looms large in the Congress political campaign.

Though both have good backgrounds, with Jogi being a former IAS officer and Raman Singh a former Ayurvedic doctor, they possess completely contrasting personalities.

"Raman Singh is very docile and soft-spoken." Says Santosh Sharma, resident of Rajnandgaon, from where Raman is contesting assembly polls.