The 15-month old Congress-JMM alliance appears to have run into rough weather after the Grand Old Party of India refused to give a lion’s share of the total 81 seats in Jharkhand to the regional outfit to contest the Assembly elections.
Two days after the notification issued for the first phase of elections, to be held on November 25, both the parties flexed their muscles to show their might in the elections. While the JMM said that it was ready to go it alone and called a meeting on November 2 to rejuvenate its workers, the Congress sent overtures to the decimated JVM of Babulal Marandi for a tie-up.
Rajya Sabha MP and former Congress State unit president Pradeep Balmuchu told The Pioneer that the party had almost decided to snap links with the JMM after the latter tried to dictate terms. “The Congress will be fighting elections in alliance with the RJD and JD (U),” he maintained.
“The demands made by the JMM were quite unreasonable,” he pointed out, adding the decision to snap links with the JMM will be made public very soon. “I am personally not in favour of forging alliance even with Babulal Marandi,” he added.
The JMM, on the other hand, said that the Congress leadership was ignorant of ground reality and staked claim to several sitting seats. “How could we part with seats like Ghatshila, Pakur and Jamtara, which are being held by JMMIJ,” asked JMM spokesman Supriyo Bhattacharya, after Chief Minister Hemant Soren held several rounds of talks with the Congress leaders, including B K Hariprasad in Delhi.
The tussle between the JMM and Congress, however, gave some hope to Babulal Marandi’s party, which has been pushed to the fringe in the wake of a large number of senior leaders and MlAs joining the resurgent BJP.
The JVM leaders are camping in Delhi at the invitation of the Congress with a hope to seal a deal for the Assembly elections. It might also be possible that the Congress was using the JVM to bargain hard with Hemant Soren.
“We also want that Jharkhand gets a stable government. We will consider forging a tie up if the Congress snaps links with the JMM,” said JVM general secretary Pravin Singh, camping in Delhi along with Pradeep Yadav.
According to Congress insiders, talks were on with the JVM in order to reach over a consensus.
“It is always beneficial to go along with the JVM. But the party will be in a loss if it contests the coming Assembly elections in association with the JMM,” said a party insider requesting anonymity.
State Congress leaders, on the other hand, had already cleared their point saying that they will never go for a coalition at the cost of their self respect.
Members of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) have categorically said that they are against the decision taken by party’s state in-charge B K Hariprasad of playing second fiddle to the JMM during the forthcoming assembly elections.
According to a party insider, the Congress has demanded at least 35 seats out of a total of 81, leaving 36 for the JMM. It has agreed to give 8 seats to RJD while the remaining 2 for JD (U). The formula was not acceptable to the JMM.
The JMM wants most of the seats in Santhal Pargana which is not agreed by the state Congress leaders apprehending that the party may lose its base in the area if it remains inactive for a long time.
