RAIPUR: The Communist Party of India (CPI) today joined forces with the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance for coming state assembly elections.
JCC-BSP chief ministerial candidate Ajit Jogi today made the announcement during a press conference here.
The CPI has been allotted two assembly seats Dantewada and Konta in the tie-up that had initially been given to the BSP.
Under the new arrangement, the JCC would continue to contest from 55 constituencies while the BSP would field candidates from 33 seats instead of 35 as decided earlier.
"The CPI wields influence in Dantewada and Konta. It had won the seats in 1990 and 1993, at the time when these belonged to undivided Madhya Pradesh. In 1998 assembly elections, the CPI came runners-up at both places," said Mr Jogi.
The CPI came runners-up again in 2003 during the first assembly elections after Chhattisgarh was formed. In 2008, the CPI candidate came runners-up while the Congress was placed at the third position in Dantewada.
On the other hand, the CPI candidate lost to the Congress nominee in a neck-and-neck contest by a narrow margin of 879 votes. In 2013, the CPI came third at both places.