Jogi to take on VC Shukla

Congress on Tuesday decided to field Ajit Jogi against former Union minister VC Shukla from Mahsamund in Chhattisgarh.

The Congress' decision to field former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi against V.C. Shukla (BJP) in Mahasamund has altered the complexion of the Lok Sabha battle in the tribal state as a whole.

Jogi had been suspended for not consulting the high command before offering support to a breakaway BJP group after the assembly elections. In his absence, the state Congress had been left virtually leaderless in its fight against the BJP.

Since Jogi had apologised for his indiscretion to the Disciplinary Action Committee, the AICC formally revoked his suspension on Tuesday before announcing his candidature.

Jogi's return to the spotlight had been in the offing, specially after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi recently deputed him to the N-E for campaigning and then gave him an audience last week.

Spokesperson Kapil Sibal fended off queries about Jogi's candidature when the CBI was still looking into the forged IB document case and the audio-tape controversy in which the former CM had offered to back a splinter BJP group to form a government in Chhattisgarh. "We were waiting for the CBI to say something," said Sibal. "They haven't come out even with an interim report."

The Congress expects to serve three objectives by putting Jogi into the electoral fray. First, it hopes to reach out to the tribal voters.

Second, considered a vote-catcher in Chhattisgarh, Jogi's entry is expected to enthuse the electorate, cadres and state unit which he had nurtured as CM before engaging in that reckless post-poll gamble.

Third, if Jogi wins the election, he will automatically step into the national scene to allow a new crop of leaders to grow.

For Jogi, the face-off with Shukla will be more than an electoral battle.

A win over Shukla — his bete noire, whose rebellion cost the Congress many seats in the assembly polls — would prove that Jogi hasn't lost his sheen despite his suspension.

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