We’re Harming BJP, Congress Equally: Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi

Ajit Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh and founder of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh, may become kingmaker in the mineral-rich state he ruled for three years.

Predicting the results of the closely contested election would be like “firing in blank space” as his two-year-old party being in alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is an unknown factor, Jogi said in an interview with BloombergQuint days before election results in five states are announced.

“It would be foolish to make an assessment and prediction about the results in Chhattisgarh because we have no history, data to go by and it’s just firing in blank space.”

Ajit Jogi, Founder and President, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Chief Minister Raman Singh has ruled Chhattisgarh for the last three terms, but it has always been in a close race with the Congress. In the last two elections, the BJP’s vote share was just 1 percent higher than the Congress. The BSP, that has now allied with Jogi’s party, had a 4 percent share in the last election. That has made this election unpredictable.

While the Congress accused the new combine of helping the BJP by splitting its vote, Jogi said his alliance will harm both the national parties equally.

“I am confident that we are cutting into votes of both the Congress and the BJP. We are harming both.”

Ajit Jogi

Jogi has been targeting three-time Chief Minister Raman Singh on the campaign trail, but he has been careful to avoid any criticism of the Gandhi family that leads the Congress. He attributes that to a long and personal relationship he shared with Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi. But Jogi doesn’t share the same rapport with Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

“My relationship with Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi was much better because we belong to same generation. As far as Rahulji is concerned, there is a generation gap.”

Ajit Jogi

(Published in an arrangement with BloombergQuint)