The electoral battle for Chhattisgarh is an exciting one with a new entrant in what was once a two-horse race between the BJP and the Congress. The new kid on the political block is Ajit Jogi, who was the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh. He was suspended from the Congress two years ago. This is the first state election that the Congress has fought without Jogi.
The longest-serving BJP chief minister, Raman Singh hopes to extend his run. He has already led the BJP to three election victories in the state. But some recent opinion polls suggest that the BJP may have to battle some anti-incumbency this time round. In as much, these elections are a test of BJP’s popularity, especially among the poor and marginalized.
The Chhattisgarh assembly has 90 seats, if you discount the one seat that goes to a nominee from the Anglo Indian community. In effect, 46 seats are needed to form the government. The 2013 assembly elections saw the BJP bagging 49 seats. The Congress won 39 seats. Mayawati's BSP clinched one seat.
But while BJP bagged 10 seats more than the Congress, a look at the vote share indicates a much closer fight. BJP managed just 0.75 percent more than the Congress vote share in 2013.
Ajit Jogi’s addition to the mix could eat into the vote shares of both the Congress and the BJP, especially after Jogi’s alliance with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. If the alliance can win enough seats, Ajit Jogi may well don the robe of kingmaker in the state.
Watch the full video for more details on how the Ajit Jogi factor can affect the outcome of the Chhattisgarh elections.
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