Days for lohardaga bypoll may be inching closer but not the two rival camps of the Congress in Jharkhand. Forced to shun his open defiance against incumbent Pradesh Congress Committee president Sukhdeo Bhagat, Rajya Sabha member Pradeep Balmuchu has approached the party high command afresh.
Balmuchu under his latest maneuverings objected to Bhagat's intense involvement in lohardaga constituency and in the process neglecting party's interests in rest of the State. "PCC president's role is important in guiding the party throughout the State. I have put up the matter at the right forum and this has resulted in some kind of hope as well," said the Rajya Sabha member who was predecessor of the present party chief.
Balmuchu along with another Congress MP in the Upper House Dheeraj Sahu and former MP Rameshwar Oraon are the known adversaries of Sukhdeo Bhagat. The camp even ran pillar to post to block party ticket to the PCC chief this time from lohadaga which is going under midterm poll. Nonetheless, their attempts seem to have borne no fruit that has mellowed their tone a bit now and instead prompted them to work out another plan.
“When the Congress national president consulted me for candidature on lohardaga I suggested her to consult Dheeraj Sahu and Rameshwar Oraon as well. But now it seems that ticket would go to him also as Congress does not have any other strong candidate from there. He is also leaving no stone unturned. But I would mention here that the by poll is extremely important for the party,” said Balmuchu addressing a press conference on Monday.
Insiders believe that now since announcement of Bhagat's name from the seat is just a formality the camp would not back him in winning. Infighting has cost him dearly in past as well when Bhagat after winning the constituency in 2005, lost two times in 2009 and 2014 with margins of just around five hundred votes. Role of the Sahu-Oraon duo, having considerable hold in the constituency, may prove crucial and if defeated Bhagat may lose his position in the party decisively.
Though, Dheeraj Sahu tried to play the infighting story down. “Party is important here and not the candidate. He (Bhagat) is like my younger brother. Had he talked to me last time I would have forgiven him,” said Sahu who was also present in the press conference. Moreover, Balmuchu went ahead bashing national spokesperson Ajay Kumar.
"Our party senior leaders should take into consideration the ranks and files of the party cadres before appointing any new entrant as an office bearer. He joined the party and immediately made a spokesperson. Such acts weaken the party," said Balmuchu.
Despite attempts to show the unity and declaration about burying their hatchets in public, the segment of the party without any official word coming from the PCC would sit on dharna before Raj Bhawan on September 23.
“Party's SC cell would organise the dharna against anti-people policies of the State Government and its failure on all counts, be it law and order, inflation, electricity, domicile. The CM despite getting votes of 86 slums and residents of Birsa Nagar of Jamshedpur is again misguiding them after coming into power,” said Balmuchu.
He stressed that all important leaders, including Sukhdeo Bhagat have been invited to attend the dharna.