Coalition partners bargain tough with Congress

| | Ranchi
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Coalition partners bargain tough with Congress

Tuesday, 11 December 2018 | PNS | Ranchi

The all important meeting of the anti-BJP political outfits in Delhi saw hard bargain put forth by the Congress’ allies in Jharkhand. The meeting is being considered crucial to arrive at an acceptable seat sharing formula for 2019 Lok Sabha battle.

Sources in the Jharkhand Vikas Morhca (JVM) and the Congress confirming the reports about seat sharing and said that only final nod was required in the meeting on Monday. “JVM is seeking three Lok Sabha seats namely Chatra, Koderma and Godda. As per the agreement we had arrived at here before going to the meeting in Delhi, the JMM would be getting four seats,” said a senior functionary of the JVM. Inputs coming in from the Congress suggest that the party was looking for one more seat than being talked about. “As per now Congress has been left with six seats but it is expected that one more seat would come to our kitty. JVM may finally settle with two- Koderma and Chatra, four would go to the JMM and one to the RJD,” said a Pradesh Congress Committee member.

Top leadership of the constituents including JMM executive president and Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren and JVM supremo Babulal Marandi along with PCC president in the State Ajoy Kumar participated in the united Opposition huddle and later sat separately with top Congress leadership including national president Rahul Gandhi to finalise the deal.

Out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in the State, the BJP riding on the juggernaut of Narendra Modi in 2014 had gone on pocketing 12 leaving just two to the JMM and that also confined to Santhal Pargana. “Things have changed since then. The wave is receding. We have stalked claims over Lok Sabha seats of Santhal region. Our formula is based on the fact that the seats should go to the party having best chances to defeat the BJP with the unified support,” said JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya.

However it is not going to be smooth sailing for the partners into the Opposition camp in the State. First it was JMM that chose Jharkhand Party’s candidate Menon Ekka over Congress’ Naman Bixal Kongari for the Kolebira bypoll and now another partner RJD also toed the JMM’s line leaving Congress in a lurch.

“The RJD has decided to back Jharkhand Party’s Menon Ekka as far as Kolebira elections are concerned. She has good support base there and we all should back her,” said RJD Jharkhand president Annapurna Devi on Monday. The declaration is nothing less than a jolt for the Congress that had went on the record labeling Jharkhand Party as ‘B’ team of the BJP and alleged the ruling party in the State for providing jailed leader Enos Ekka full patronage.

A delegation of the Congress on Monday also called on Chief Electoral Officer of the State L Khiyangte and lodged a formal complained about the role of Enos Ekka, husband of Menon Ekka, in influencing the electorates of the constituency.

“Enos Ekka is behind the bars in a murder case after being convicted. But he is sending threats to our party workers and common voters of Kolebira over phone to vote for his wife and Jharkhand Party candidate Menon Ekka. We have complained to the Election Commission here and if nothing happens we would also knock doors of the Commission in Delhi,” said former Congress MP Subodh Kant Sahay after handing over the letter.

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