RAIPUR: For the first perhaps it appears that the sitting Kota legislator Renu Jogi may not get Congress ticket and thus she could be moving to the 'family party' Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) founded by her husband Ajit Jogi and where her son Amit Jogi is a key strategist.
"It takes time to convince the wife. I am still trying. Mein Unhe mana raha hoon (I am trying to convince her)," former Chief Minister and JCC supremo Ajit Jogi told reporters here.
Interacting with newspersons after announcing that the CPI - a party with a considerable support base in Naxal-hit segments and rural Chhattisgarh - will be part of the JCC-BSP alliance, Mr Jogi also said that 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 Mr. Jogi's JCC would continue to contest from 55 constituencies while the BSP would field candidates from 33 seats â instead of 35 as decided earlier.
BSP chief Mayawati has been taken into confidence about the new arrangement, Mr Jogi said. Leaving out Dantewada and Konta seats to CPI owes special significance as the communist party had the substantial presence in these seats.
"The move will help the alliance expand the support base among the farming community and labourers," a JCC leader said adding the alliance will benefit electorally in politically sensitive Bastar region and also in Sarguja and Bhillai segments.
In 1998 assembly polls in united Madhya Pradesh, CPI had come second in these two seats. Mr Ajit Jogi also said that to campaign for the JCC-BSP-CPI alliance he will travel across Bastar region from October 20 to 24.
He will also visit Konta to campaign for the CPI seat. On Friday, BSP supremo Mayawati and JCC chief Ajit Jogi addressed a mega rally at Bilaspur urging the voters to reject both the national parties the BJP and the Congress.