Jogis, a family representing three parties

Bhopal: Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi on Saturday “unwittingly” earned the unique distinction of heading a 4-member family, enjoying the luxury of representing three major political parties, when his daughter-in-law Richa joined Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 

With this, the Jogi family has now three political parties, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC), founded by Mr Jogi, Congress and BSP, in its kitty. Ajit Jogi’s wife is a Congress MLA. 

Mr Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, broke away from Congress in 2016 to float JCC, after his MLA son Amit was expelled from the grand-old party in the wake of allegations of his involvement in fixing of an assembly by-election in the state then.

Wily Jogi last month sprang a surprise in the national politics by wooing BSP supremo Mayawati away from Congress to forge alliance with JCC for the coming assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, scheduled to be held in two phases on November 12 and 20.

While he along with his son and daughter-in-law have worked hard to build the fledgling party in Chhattisgarh in the past two years, his wife Renu, a sitting Congress MLA from Konta assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh’s Bilashpur district, refused to quit her party to join the JCC.

She was hoping to seek re-election from her constituency from Konta seat on a Congress ticket, although, she has been marginalized in the grand-old party in the past couple of years.

Mr Jogi has arranged his ‘bahu’ the BSP ticket to contest from Akaltara assembly constituency in Janjgir-Champa district in Chhattisgarh in the coming assembly elections.

“JCC and BSP are two political parties, but they have one heart since they are allies now”, Amit Jogi quipped while trying to justify to get BSP ticket for his wife Richa.

Out of a total 90 Assembly segments in Chhattisgarh, the JCC is contesting a total of 55 seats, while the BSP will be contesting 33 seats.