At least now the BJP has some reason to feel happy in Chhattisgarh. Despite Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s efforts to see that the BJP doesn’t cross the double-figure mark in the Assembly, the party finds itself positioned just above the halfway cut-off.The latest poll survey conducted by a Jabalpur-based agency, at the behest of the BJP, between August 15 and September 15 predicts the party winning 48 Assembly seats — three above the halfway mark in the 90-member House. Yet, admits party general secretary Pramod Mahajan: ‘‘Gains for the party are not decisive. Still, the field is open for the BJP as well as the Congress. Unless the BJP shows a five per cent positive swing, it’s going to be a close finish.’’In this survey, the Congress shifts to the Opposition benches with 34 seats and leaves a gap of eight seats to be filled by smaller parties, like the Rashtriya Congress Party, the BSP, the CPI and the Gondwana Ganrantkra Party. Only a month ago, the Congress’ official survey predicted plus 50 seats for the party.But Mahajan, who has made a presentation of this survey before the party’s core group, says methodology adopted by the agency leaves no doubts about its authenticity as over 64,000 people, depending on their caste ratio, age and sex were interviewed at the 90 Assembly constituencies. There are still 10 per cent floating votes which, according to the survey, can tilt the political scale for the BJP.Mahajan tried to downplay the Shukla factor and refused to give much credence to Jogi’s ‘‘fake tribal’’ identity issue.
