Grand alliance hopes fading as Congress slams BSP for Maya-Jogi alliance in C'garh

The BSP's announcement that the party will ally with former chief minister Ajit Jogi's front in Chhattisgarh has irked the Congress as the main opposition party was hoping for an alliance with Mayawati to take on the BJP in upcoming polls.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi waving at the cameras along with BSP leader Mayawati.(Image: Congress Twitter)

RAIPUR: The BSP's announcement that the party will ally with former chief minister Ajit Jogi's front in Chhattisgarh has irked the Congress as the main opposition party was hoping for an alliance with Mayawati to take on the BJP in upcoming polls. Hitting out at the BSP, the Chhattisgarh Congress said Mayawati's party has allied with Jogi, a rebel Congress leader, as it was facing heat from central government agencies. "Pressure from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate on the BSP has led to the creation of this alliance. "This alliance had been formed with the BJP's support and the people of the state had an understanding of it," state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel was quoted by PTI as saying. In a major setback to the Congress's endeavour of cobbling up a united front against the Modi government, the BSP on Thursday said it will join hands with Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh for the upcoming assembly elections, due later this year. Baghel claimed the BSP had been fielding candidates on the direction of the BJP in all elections in the state so far. "In the coming polls too, the BSP will field candidates as per the ruling party's choice. This time the party has been exposed by supporting Jogi who has acted as a 'B' team of the BJP," Baghel said. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow on Thursday, Mayawati, the four-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, said the BSP will fight polls on 35 seats and the JCC will contest on 55 seats, adding that if the coalition wins a majority, Ajit Jogi will be the chief minister. Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh and a former CWC member, had floated the JCC after quitting the Congress in 2016. The BJP has been ruling the state for the last 15 years. In the 2013 poll, the BJP had won 49 seats, Congress 39, the BSP 1 and Independent 1. The BJP had secured 41.04 per cent of the total votes polled, the Congress 40.29 per cent and the BSP 4.27 per cent.