Ajit Jogi, a former Chhattisgarh chief minister, had said last week that he had no choice but to quit Congress. (PTI file photo)
The Congress high command has adopted a "wait and watch" approach to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's hints about quitting the party and launching a new outfit.
Mr Jogi has convened a meeting of his supporters in his native Marwahi tomorrow when he is likely to announce his decision to quit Congress and float a new party.
"Since he is a Congress Working Committee member and a senior party leader, he knows his responsibility. We will wait and watch about tomorrow's meeting. Let us see what is the follow-up," party general secretary BK Hariprasad, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, told news agency PTI.
He replied in the negative when asked whether AICC had sent any leader to talk to Mr Jogi.
Mr Jogi, a former Chhattisgarh chief minister, had said last week that he had no choice but to quit Congress to make the state "Raman Singh Mukt" (free from CM Raman Singh).
"Chhattisgarh Congress is acting like the B team of the Raman Singh government. There is no hope from this Congress. Raman Singh will get elected for a fourth term easily. So a big step has to be taken and there is only one solution. I will have to take the lead in it.
"People of Chhattisgarh know that this Congress won't be able to fight Raman Singh and BJP and they are forcing me to form a new party and defeat Raman Singh," he had said.
Speculation about Mr Jogi forming a new outfit has been rife since January when his son and Marwahi legislator Amit Jogi was expelled by the state unit of Congress for allegedly "fixing" a by-election in 2014.
Mr Jogi was also served a notice by the party when some of his and his son's purported conversations to "fix" the by-election were "leaked" to the media.
Mr Jogi has been sidelined by the state unit of Congress, led by Patan legislator Bhupesh Baghel and the leader of opposition in the state Assembly TS Singh Deo.
Quite a few people in the AICC feel that if Mr Jogi quitting the party will be a "good riddance".
There have been constant allegations that Mr Jogi, the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh, had sabotaged the party's prospects often and helped Mr Raman Singh remain in power.