When less than a month remaining for the crucial by-elections in Silli and Gomia Assembly constituencies, the ruling BJP has taken long strides in registering a mark in the electoral scene. 

The party is eyeing to wrest at least one seat from the main Opposition party JMM which is going to be probably the last election ahead of the Assembly battle due in 2019.

The process gained momentum with the Election Commission declaring dates, May 28 for voting, which prompted Chief Minister Raghubar Das to hold a meeting to discuss things in advance.

The meeting in the presence of State BJP president laxman Gilua, organisational secretary Dharmpal and other senior office-bearers of the party is learnt to have spent most of the time on the challenge being posed from the the AJSU.

“Winning comes later. First we have to finalise the seat sharing formula with our coalition partner AJSU. The CM and other leaders were of the view that the BJP should contest one seat, in this case it is Gomia and leave the second one Silli for its partner looking at their hold and presence over there,” said a party leader present in the meeting.

Insiders suggest that the party organisation has reached a conclusion and authorised the State president of the BJP to hold talks with AJSU supremo Sudesh Mahto staking claims over Gomia Assembly constituency. “We had fought Gomia and would fight again. The party would follow coalition dharma and not field candidate on Silli.

The party has even gone ahead and started consultation to select name of the candidate over Gomia. Workers from five blocks of the constituency attended the process. Today’s meeting was mostly focused on that,” said Deepak Prakash, vice president of State BJP.

Party’s local leaders were told to write their choice of candidate and submit it with the State president. Based on the support and after assessing winability factor any final decision would be taken in a week time. “Names like Madhav lal Singh and few others are doing rounds. The party leaders may even go for any other candidate if his chances of victory would be greater,” said a senior leader. Madhav lal Singh was the party candidate on the last occasion and had faired second after JMM’s Yogendra Mahto.

Both the seats before its MlAs got disqualified due to criminalities were in the JMM’s kitty and winning even one would be a great boost for the NDA coalition, especially in the light of built up shown against the Government in recent times.

However coalition commotion is also on the Opposition camp and the JMM would have to burn midnight oil to bring in together Congress, RJD and the left for the sake of future alliance.