Wary BJP fields seasoned Sai

Earlier, Hemwati Porte — the widow of former Congress MLA from Marwahi — had approached the BJP high command for a ticket to fight Jogi. Her supposed anger against Jogi stemmed from the fact that the CM, who had asked her to get out of his way in the earlier by-election, had gone back on his word to leave the seat open for her in the general elections. Sources revealed that BJP leaders had asked Porte to first resign as the chairperson of the Chhattisgarh Women’s Commission, establish her credentials as a genuine opponent to Jogi and then ask for a BJP ticket. Since she failed to oblige, the party closed its doors on her.

BJP’s suspicions about Jogi’s designs are not without basis. After all, his skills at making ‘‘Aya Rams, Gaya Rams’’ out of political leaders are legendary. First, Jogi managed to persuade BJP MLA Ram Dayal Uikey to vacate the Marwahi seat enabling him to enter the Assembly through a by-election after the assumption of chief ministership. He made up to Uikey by making him a minister.

Later, he split the BJP Legislature Party and weaned away 13 MLAs. While the BJP national executive was in session, he embarrassed the party by getting Sai’s daughter Priyam Paikra into the Congress. Now comes the defection of BJP Lok Sabha member P.R. Khunte to the Congress.

Though there appears to be no end to the surprises for BJP in Chhattisgarh, the party high command only hopes that the Marwahi candidature would not throw up any surprise and that Sai would stay put in the race.