Chhattisgarh elections: Will the BJP gain from Jogi-BSP-CPI combine?

Raipur, Oct 15: The elections in Chhattisgarh has thrown up an interesting scenario after the BSP decided to tie up with Ajit Jogi.

The state which has traditionally seen a direct fight between the BJP and Congress will this time around witness a three-corner contest. The CPI too announced on Sunday that it had entered into an alliance with Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J).

The Chhattisgarh Assembly polls will be held in two phases -- on November 12 and 20. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Earlier, the Bahujan Samaj Party had forged an alliance with Jogi's outfit. According to the poll alliance agreement, the BSP will contest 35 seats, while the JCCJ will fight the remaining 55 seats in the 90-member Assembly.

Jogi said the addition of CPI to the JCC (J)-BSP alliance had made it a "mahagatbandhan" (grand alliance), boosting its poll prospects in the Bastar region and in places with a high number of labourers.

Political scientist, Dr. Sandeep Shastri tells OneIndia that the emerge of the Jogi and BSP factor has made the battle an interesting one. A third player has emerged in the state which has seen a traditional battle between the Congress and BJP.

Dr. Shastri says that it would be interesting to see how the third front would play out in the state. The BJP hopes that its anti BJP vote wold be divided thanks to the third front. The BJP would obviously see this three pronged contest as an advantage to it.

The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr Raman Singh has always maintained a low key.

That has been his style and he has worked quietly in the state. It would be interesting to see if the new combination will dent into the BJP. The biggest challenge for both Jogi and the Congress is that they have launched campaigns against the BJP and hence it would be interesting to see which way the anti-BJP vote will go, Dr. Shastri also adds.

It would be interesting to see how much of a factor the CPI which joined Jogi and the BSP would have. In the 2013 assembly polls, the CPI had garnered just 0.66 per cent of the votes cast and had lost in all the 13 seats it had contested. Jogi will be campaigning for the candidates of the grand alliance in Bastar region between October 20 and 24 during.

He will address rallies in Konta and Dantewada on October 23.

The development is being seen as a blow to the opposition Congress which was planning to forge a grand alliance in Chhattisgarh to unseat the ruling BJP.

There are 90 assembly seats in Chhattisgarh and the magic number is 46.