Cong poll panel to decide Jogi’s fate today

Raipur, August 31, 2013

The second meeting of Congress election committee will be held at New Delhi on Sunday. The meeting carries significance for both state Congress as well as senior parry legislator Ajit Jogi as its result will decide whether the forthcoming assembly polls will be steered by the organisation or an individual.

Evidently, neither the state unit nor high command is amused by Jogi’s rebel and aggressive stance. The party did everything to tame Jogi, but the latest development, which includes Chhattisgarh Congress incharge BK Hariprasada and PCC president Charandas Mahant individually calling the former at his Raipur and Delhi residences respectively, has raised many eyebrows in the organisation.

While majority of his opponents want him to be shown doors, Jogi seems to have made his mindset much earlier about his future as he did not hesitate in bargaining even with senior leadership regarding his role in the party, especially during polls. He has forthrightly demanded poll campaign committee chairman’s post as well as assembly tickets for his 45 supporters.

The organisation wants the poll panel to shift balance towards Mahant and hence it has proposed the name of tribal leader Rampukar Singh for the post of poll campaign committee. The organisation also wants the poll panel finalise candidates on the basis of shortlisted names instead of buckling down before Jogi’s pressure.

Therefore, to prove his leadership capability, Mahant reached Delhi along with his supporters on Saturday. He was accompanied by senior party leader Satyanarayan Sharma. Sharma is likely to attend poll panel’s meeting. Meanwhile, Hariprasada has also asked PCC programme coordinator Bhupesh Baghel to attend the meeting. The party leadership has already included MLAs TS Singhdeo and Amitesh Shukla as poll panel’s permanently invited members.

In the current scenario, the party’s state politics is heavily dependent on one decision of poll panel – whether the organisation, as a unit, will be given the baton to win polls or it would be a one-man-show by Jogi and his aides.