Jogi-led alliance will upset BJP and Cong: CPI

CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy Monday said the alliance led by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi will "upset" the BJP and the Congress in the polls to the 90-member state assembly.

"The alliance led by Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh will upset both the ruling BJP and the Congress. People in the state are fed up with Raman Singh government's misrule. The Congress, too, is a weak political force in Chhattisgarh after Jogi left the party," Reddy said.

He said that the Congress has failed to corner the Raman Singh government on crucial issues.

Reddy said the CPI could not have any understanding with Mayawati's BSP as it fielded candidates in the Dantewada and Konta constituencies which his party's considers as its strongholds.

The CPI general secretary also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking "urban Maoist' jibe during the election campaign in Chhattisgarh.

"This is a pretext to hunt intellectuals in the country. They are saying that the Congress is supporting urban Maoists or urban Naxals. This is a blatant lie. In Chhattisgarh, Naxals killed more Congress workers than those of the BJP," Reddy claimed.

The first-phase polls for 18 seats in the state were held on Monday.

The second phase of polling in the remaining 72 seats would be held on November 20 and counting of votes would take place on December 11.

In the 2013 assembly polls, the CPI had lost all the constituencies it had contested.