Raipur, November 9: Congress rebel Ajit Jogi, who formed his own party in Chhattisgarh, said he will be the next Chief Minister of the state. Speaking to reporters on the eve of elections, Jogi said his Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC), which is contesting in alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), will end up shocking all pollsters.

Jogi said the analysts have failed to sense the sentiment on the ground. "People of the state want an alternative to the Congress and the BJP. The alliance of JCC, BSP and Left has offered them hope for a real change," he added. BJP to Defy Anti-Incumbency, Win Chhattisgarh With 56 Seats: Opinion Poll.

While Jogi's JCC is contesting on 55 seats in 90-member assembly, 33 have been allotted to BSP. 2 constituencies - Sukma and Dantewada - will be contested by the Communist Party of India (CPI), as per the seat-sharing arrangement.

Apart from predicting himself to emerge as the king post the declaration of assembly election results on December 11, 2018, Jogi said he would also play the role of kingmaker for Mayawati in 2019.

The 72-year-old claimed that a non-Congress, non-BJP leader will be sworn-in as the next Prime Minister. "I personally believe Mayawati deserves it as the first Dalit, a woman, as a politician from Uttar Pradesh and as a four-time chief minister," Jogi added.

The test of his prediction, as well as his credibility, will depend on how the Chhattisgarh electorate vote in the two-phased assembly polls, scheduled on November 12 and 20.

A major opinion polls, released by ABP News-Lokniti CSDS, predicted the JCC-BSP-Left alliance to win around 9 seats in the state, whereas, the Congress would be restricted to 25. The survey predicted a fourth consecutive term for the Raman Singh-led BJP, with 56 MLAs being elected.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 09, 2018 06:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).