Over a year after the BJP got a walkover in an Assembly by-election in Chhattisgarh when the Congress candidate pulled out at the last minute, purported conversations between key political players of that time have emerged that suggest financial inducements could have been offered to make him withdraw from the fray.


The Indian Express has received tapes of several phone conversations purportedly between former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, his son Amit Jogi and Chief Minister Raman Singh's son-in-law Puneet Gupta; between Congress candidate Manturam Pawar (who withdrew) and former Jogi loyalist Firoz Siddiqui; a third between Pawar, who is now with the BJP, and Siddiqui; between Siddiqui and another Jogi loyalist Ameen Memon; and between Amit Jogi and Siddiqui. See more