Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi) chairman Ajit Jogi on Saturday said he intended to contest from Korba Lok Sabha seat but had to back out due to resource crunch.
“Being a regional party and a new outfit, we have fewer resources. So, in a unanimous decision, taken by both parliamentary and core committees, it was decided that I should not contest the seat,” the former chief minister said.
He said the party committees decided that they should contest local level elections from Panchayat to civic bodies to build the party from grassroots.
The JCC-J decided against filing candidates in any of the state’s 11 parliamentary seats. It has backed its ally, the BSP, in these seats.
“Keeping our alliance intact with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), we are backing them in Chhattisgarh. We had a share of around 14% votes. We will ensure victory of BSP candidates in the election,” Jogi said.
Jogi said not contesting parliamentary elections would make no difference to the party. “Even if we had won one or two Parliamentary seats, we would have been lost among 545 members. So, it was crucial for our outfit to remain relevant in the state first,” the former chief minister stated.
On the mood of electors in the state, Jogi said it was too early to predict anything.
“The BJP is relying on nationality, security, surgical strike, Kashmir and terrorism while Congress is speaking on minimum wages, unemployment and other social issues at ground level. A week before polling, one can analyse the mood of voters, “ he added.