Ajit Jogi's death likely to change political contours in Chhattisgarh

It was Dhanteras in 2002, when the then chief minister, Ajit Pramod Kumar Jogi, received the message that veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lakhiram Agrawal had fallen sick.

Agrawal was in Bilaspur, about 120 km from Chhattisgarh’s capital, Raipur. Jogi asked his officials to rush the state plane immediately to Bilaspur and airlift Agrawal to New Delhi.
 

One of the most trusted bureaucrats in the chief minister’s office questioned the order, saying that as Agrawal had no official position, the chief minister was under no obligation to intervene. But it did not deter Jogi. The ailing BJP leader recovered (he died in January 2009).

Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh, who died on May 29, heard what others advised him but took all decisions himself. It was this trait that led him to quit the Congress in 2016, following his battle with the local party leadership. He floated a separate political entity, the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC), which changed political equations in the state.

The emergence of a third front turned the otherwise bipolar contest into a three-cornered one in the 2018 state polls.

 

Now with his passing, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, there will be a tectonic shift in Chhattisgarh politics.

“Chhattisgarh will be back to bipolar politics and this will be the biggest swing as the present JCC leadership will now face the tough challenge of keeping its house in order,” said political commentator Himanshu Dwivedi.

Jogi’s wife, Renu, and son Amit will have the crucial task of continuing his political legacy. A charismatic personality, Jogi had always made his presence felt in Chhattisgarh. Now, it will be the responsibility of his party to keep it alive.

“Amit Jogi will take time to achieve the status of Ajit Jogi,” said Dwivedi, referring to the late leader’s indisputable popularity in the state. Renu Jogi, an ophthalmologist-turned-politician, is a sober and simple professional. Leading a political party is not her cup of tea though she is a sitting legislator of the JCC.

The survival of the JCC will be at stake without Jogi as he was a leader of tall stature with vast experience and contact, says former chief minister and BJP National Vice President Raman Singh. The political scenario in the state will largely depend on the future of the JCC, he adds.

Singh says since a majority of leaders in the JCC are from the Congress, they may return to the parent party.

An analysis of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election 2018 results indicates the JCC’s maiden election dented the BJP’s prospects and not the Congress vote share. Because of Jogi’s historical association with the Congress, it was expected that the JCC would damage the Congress more than the BJP.

 

The BSP-JCC-CPI alliance won seven seats. Of the 69 seats the Congress won, there was a triangular contest in 41. Jogi’s party failed to make its symbol reach every village. Much of the rural populace still felt he was with the Congress. They ended up voting for the Congress.

A perception was also created that Jogi was hand-in-glove with the BJP, which helped the Congress. To sum up, Jogi did play the role of a game-changer, but helped his parent party in turn, albeit inadvertently.

Soon after Jogi’s death, a message went viral that the JCC will be merged with the Congress. JCC insiders played this down, stating that the party will not take any initiative, given its bitter past with the local party leadership.

Political observers say it will be Congress President Sonia Gandhi who will take a call. The Jogi family has a good rapport with the Congress chief. Congress leaders are hence wary of talking about the JCC.

Chhattisgarh’s political landscape is now unpredictable. And the game is far from over.