The Communist Party of India on Sunday announced its alliance with Ajit Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, reported PTI. The state will vote on November 12 and November 20 while the result will be declared on December 11.
Last month, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands with Jogi’s outfit. Announcing the alliance with CPI at a press conference in Raipur, Jogi said it was now a “mahagatbandhan” (grand alliance). He added that the CPI will help better the three-party alliance’s chances in the Bastar region and in areas where a large number of voters are labourers.
According to the initial pact, the BSP will contest 35 seats while Jogi’s party will field candidates from 55 seats in the 90-member Assembly. However, now with the CPI joining the JCC-BSP alliance, the Left party will field candidates from the two Assembly seats of Dantewada and Konta. Earlier, the BSP was supposed to contest from these two constituencies. The CPI and its affiliated labour unions will, on the other hand, campaign for the JCC-BSP candidates in Chitrakot and Bijapur in Bastar and industrial areas like Korba and Bhilai Nagar.
CPI State Secretary RDCP Rao said the alliance, if voted to power, will work in the interest of Dalits, Adivasis, the poor, labourers and minorities. Mayawati has promised Jogi the chief minister’s post if the alliance wins the elections.
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