R Krishna Das
When Gyanendra Upadhyay quit the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) and joined his parent party Congress last month, it did not come as a surreal swing in the Chhattisgarh politics.
Upadhyay was the representative of former Chief Minister and JCC founder late Ajit Jogi besides one of his close aides. With the passing away of Jogi on May 29, the biggest challenge for the JCC that Jogi founded after quitting Congress in June 2016 would be to keep its house in order.
Many political observers feel that keeping the JCC intact after Jogi’s death would not be an easy cup of tea for wife Renu and son Amit. Both would carry forward the legacy of Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh who had been credited for architecting the development model of the state. While Renu is a sitting legislator, Amit is a former lawmaker from Marwahi that now remains vacant with Jogi’s demise.
“Amit Jogi will take time to achieve the status of Ajit Jogi, who has a mass reach and charismatic leadership quality,” says a political commentator. Renu Jogi, an ophthalmologist-turned-politician, is a sober and simple professional. Leading a political party is not her subject of interest, he said, adding that keeping the JCC intact till next election in 2023 will be a daunting task.
A rumour of JCC merging into Congress went around but the top leaders refuted. Whatever may be the political fate of JCC after Ajit Jogi, the development is set to bring a crucial swing in the Chhattisgarh politics.
The biggest change will be the state returning to bipolar politics, says another political observer. The JCC that emerged as the third front under Ajit Jogi’s command will become weak enough to transfer otherwise three cornered politics into a direct battle between the BJP and Congress. And it will be an advantage for the BJP, now in opposition.
For, an analysis of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election 2018 results indicates the JCC’s maiden election dented the BJP’s prospects and not the Congress vote share. The JCC and its allies won seven seats. But it played spoilsport in 28 of the 90 seats in the state. Among these 28, the BJP and the Congress finished second in 17 and 11 seats, respectively. Congress won a majority of seats where the JCC fielded its candidates.
Chhattisgarh’s political landscape is now erratic. And the game is far from over.
PHOTO FILE: AJIT JOGI.jpg: File photo of late Ajit Jogi
