Cong,JMM not joining hands will help BJP in Jharkhand: RJD

RJD warned that if they went solo,it would benefit BJP by splitting secular votes.

With Congress and JMM indecisive over an alliance for the Assembly polls in Jharkhand,RJD warned on Saturday that if they went solo,it would benefit BJP by splitting secular votes.

“For last nine years,BJP has been the single largest party. The Congress and JMM should understand this ground reality and should consider an alliance,for which the RJD is ready,” state RJD chief Goutam Sagar Rana said.

Pointing out that JMM had a base in Santhal Pargana,Congress in Ranchi,Gumla,Lohardaga and some other districts and the RJD in Palamau,he said “a united effort will defeat the BJP”.

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The Congress and the JMM had fought the 2005 Assembly and 2009 Lok Sabha elections as allies.

Buoyed by RJD’s good showing in the recent by-polls in Bihar,its chief Lalu Prasad was also keen on an alliance with Congress in Jharkhand and had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi in this regard.

CWC member and party’s Jharkhand affairs in-charge K Keshav Rao,however,said the Congress was keen to contest on its own,”but the final decision will be taken by our high command”.

JMM’s Central Committee Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said with Congress preferring to go it alone,his party was looking for alliance partners with small regional parties. Asked if it was JMM’s final decision,he replied “in politics all windows are open and all possibilities exist. So I can’t say that”.

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Jharkhand was brought under President’s rule on January 19 this year and the House was kept under suspended animation after JMM chief Shibu Soren lost the Tamar bypolls and resigned as chief minister on January 12 and no alliance came forward to form the government.

Several JMM leaders have openly blamed the then UPA allies for Soren’s defeat.

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