Sonia checkmates Shulka Bros, Jogi will be Chattisgarh CM

Rau and Azad will make the formal announcement of Jogi’s new assignment on Tuesday in Raipur. Jogi too left for Raipur on Monday morning.

The Shukla brothers, reported to have the support of around 12 MLAs, were lobbying hard for the CM’s post even though they have differences among themselves. Although the party, with a total strength of 48, has a slender majority in the 90-member assembly, the brothers apparently don’t have the requisite majority to rock the boat. Their rejection could, however, push them into the arms of Jitendra Prasada, Sonia’s challenger.

Party sources said Sonia’s decision to select Jogi, a tribal from Chattisgarh, was taken after prolonged discussions with senior party leaders Madhavrao Scindia, Motilal Vora, Kamal Nath, Prabha Rau and Digvijay Singh.

Scindia, Kamal Nath and Rau backed Jogi’s candidature while Vora, who was in the race as a consensus candidate, had little option but to agree. Interestingly, Singh, who had all along been wary of Jogi’s candidature, came around after sensing that the wind was blowing in Jogi’s favour. Sonia ensured his approval by giving him the task of ensuring Jogi’s selection by the MLAs.

A former IAS officer, Jogi hails from Bilaspur in Chattisgarh. He was brought into politics by Rajiv Gandhi and has been a Rajya Sabha member twice and a Lok Sabha MP once. He was, however, defeated in the last Lok Sabha elections from Shahdol.

Party sources said the high command plans to go through the motions of a head count of MLAs and elicit their individual opinion. This would give Jogi’s selection a “democratic touch” since he has the support of most of the MLAs, especially of the 24 tribal MLAs.