BJP vital, Cong passe in Chhattisgarh: Ajit Jogi

Former Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has thrown his hat in the ring for the year-end Assembly elections in the state bringing cheer to the BJP which is seeking a fourth straight term in office.

In a free-wheeling interview with DH, Jogi – the first chief minister of Chhatisgarh who has since parted ways with the Congress – asserted that he will “conquer” the state by defeating the BJP.

“I will conquer Chhatisgarh,” Jogi declared as he entered the visitor's room in a south Delhi hospital where he is recuperating from a bout of pneumonia.

The 72-year-old Jogi launched the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) in 2014 after he and his son Amit were expelled from the Congress over allegations of sabotaging the Assembly by-poll.

The fledgeling JCC plans to put up candidates on each of the 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh virtually dashing the Congress' hopes of coming to power in the largely tribal state that was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.

Since 2003, every election in Chhattisgarh has ended in a photo finish. The difference of votes between the BJP and the Congress was 2.5% in 2003, 1.7% in 2008 and a mere 0.75% in 2013.

“Undoubtedly, the BJP,” Jogi said emphatically when asked about who was his main opponent in the state.

“The Congress is finished. The Congress has no face, no leader known to the people at large in the state,” he said claiming that he has a sizeable voteshare in each of the 90 constituencies in the state.

When pointed out that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the key campaigner for the party, Jogi was dismissive about his abilities as a “vote-catcher”.

“Rahul Gandhi has not clicked. Soniaji had her own charisma and glamour. Rahul does not have that. The people of Chhattisgarh hardly have any faith in him. They have no faith that he will deliver,” Jogi said.

Jogi was dismissive about BJP's claims that he would ensure Chief Minister Rama Singh's fourth straight win in the state elections.

“They are dreaming. They think I will cut only Congress votes, but I am going to equally cut BJP votes as well,” he said adding that he has already declared that he would contest the elections from Rajnandgaon against the chief minister.