Modi inspires Congress campaign in Chhattisgarh

JOGISAR (Chhattisgarh): Narendra Modi may be the nemesis of the Congress in Gujarat, but the party in Chhattisgarh has taken a leaf out of the BJP leader’s poll strategy.

On Friday, the day of polling for the first phase of Chhattisgarh’s assembly election, hundreds of supporters of former chief minister Ajit Jogi were seen sporting Jogi masks. In the 2007 Gujarat polls, Modi masks had created a stir.

“Ten sacks of masks arrived yesterday,” said Dilip Tiwari, a Congress supporter in Jogisar, Jogi’s village. “Only our party is using the mask strategy here.” Children are particularly fond of the masks, which are made of thick, glossy paper and feature a smiling Jogi.

The 62-year-old Congress is contesting from the Marwahi constituency, where polling will take place on November 20 — the second phase.

“We have been moving around the village wearing the masks. Children too have joined the campaign in a way because they are the ones who are the most enthusiastic about the masks,” said Ashok Bhagat, a Jogi supporter. Jogi suffered spinal injuries in an accident in 2004, when his car hit a tree during a campaign tour. He moves around on a wheelchair and has been campaigning for his party in Bastar, Bilaspur, Durg and Mahasamund. But he is yet to address a political meeting in his own constituency with polling less than a week away. Probably he is relying on his supporters to mask his absence.