The development is significant in seats where Jogi and the BSP have influence, particularly those with a high percentage of Scheduled Caste voters.

With three days to go for the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls and one day left for the end of campaigning for the second phase, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) party president Ajit Jogi Saturday “swore an oath” that he would “die” before allying with the BJP.

His statement comes a day after the Jogi-led coalition of the JCC(J)-BSP-CPI drew sharp criticism from the Congress after Jogi was quoted by a news channel on November 15 as saying that in politics “you cannot rule out anything”. The same day, BSP chief Mayawati said that the coalition would not ally with anyone and would sit in Opposition if needed.

On November 15, asked a question by NDTV on whether he was not ruling out an alliance with the BJP, Jogi had said, “In politics, you can’t rule out anything. Anything can happen. But I’m quite certain that eventuality will not arise.” While Jogi did say later in the interview that Chief Minister Raman Singh had attacked him over the years, the comment spread quickly throughout the state, with the Congress alleging that it was an admission that Jogi was batting for the BJP behind the scenes.

Scrambling to control the damage Saturday, Jogi told reporters in a press conference, “I will die but I will not give the BJP support. I will prefer to hang by the noose but I will neither take nor give the BJP support. I put my hands on all the holy books and swear an oath and I will neither take nor give the BJP support.”

The development is significant in seats where Jogi and the BSP have influence, particularly those with a high percentage of Scheduled Caste voters. The coalition forced the state into a three-cornered contest for the first time, with much of this vote, given Jogi’s history, coming from the Congress. The coalition had set themselves up as a third alternative to the BJP and the Congress, which would place regional issues on priority.

The Congress stance on the JCC(J) has been clear from the beginning. The party has alleged that Jogi had a “deal” with the Chief Minister, and was only meant to prevent the Congress from winning. Over the past month, the Congress has launched a campaign in the plains of the state to tell voters that a vote for Jogi meant voting for the BJP.
“There is no doubt that Jogi had become a pain in some seats.

But as time passes, people are realising that he is with the BJP only. There is a wave of anti-incumbency against the BJP, and they want to vote for a party that will for certain form a non-BJP government, and that is only the Congress. The BJP votes are falling so much at this point that even if the JCC(J) takes some, the Congress will still pull through,” said a senior Congress leader.

The BJP, meanwhile, was also quick to comment on the development with state secretary in charge Anil Jain saying that both the JCC(J) and the Congress were on the same side, and the BJP would win a majority on its own and form the government for the fourth time. The second and final phase of polling is on November 20, with results to be declared on December 11.