Mayawati picks Ajit Jogi over Cong for Chhattisgarh polls

This alliance will be for the poor, tribals, Dalits and marginalised... who are suffering in the (rule of the) present govt AJIT JOGI, former Chhattisgarh CM

RAIPUR/BHOPAL : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati announced an alliance with Ajit Jogi’s Janta Congress in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, setting the stage for a triangular contest in the state that goes to polls later this year after her talks with the Congress on seat-sharing appeared to have collapsed.

Mayawati’s party also announced candidates for 22 seats in Madhya Pradesh, where the BSP is trying to iron out its differences with the Congress and form a coalition to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A Congress leader in Delhi said on the condition of anonymity there was still a scope for negotiation in MP. He declined to comment on the developments in Chhattisgarh.

Elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — all ruled by the BJP — and the Congress-ruled Mizoram are due later this year. Telangana will also go to polls in a few months, but it is not clear if the voting will coincide with the other four states.

In Lucknow, Mayawati said Jogi’s party will contest 55 of Chhattisgarh’s 90 seats, and her party will field candidates in 35 constituencies.

Jogi, who was the chief minister during the Congress’s rule from 2000-2003, will be the CM candidate of the Bsp-janta Congress alliance, she said.

In a written statement to the media, Jogi said, “Both the parties have similar ideologies and this alliance will be for the poor, tribals, Dalits and marginalised of Chhattisgarh, who are suffering in the (rule of the) present government.”

Jogi said the newly formed alliance will create a “regionallevel-option” for the people of Chhattisgarh.

On July 5, HT reported that a meeting between Jogi and Mayawati in Delhi had sparked speculations of a possible alliance between the BSP and Janta Congress.

The BSP fought all 90 seats in the 2013 Chhattisgarh elections, winning one and ending up with a vote share of 4.27%. The Congress won 39 seats and the BJP bagged 49. The difference of votes polled by BJP and the Congress was less than one per cent.

While Jogi has been supporting the cause of the tribals in the state, the BSP has a strong support base among Dalits. Tribals account for about 30.62% of Chhattisgarh’s population and Dalits account for about 11.72%.

The Congress, which is eyeing to end the BJP’S 15-year-rule in Chhattisgarh, said the tie-up will not affect its prospects.