As bugle for 2014 general elections has been sounded its tune is being heard in Jharkhand as well. Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) is in the line of becoming an important cog in the wheel of what an alternative Fourth Front can be for the electorates to opt amid the Congress led ruling UPA and the BJP-led NDA during the polls.
Sources privy to development confirmed that regional stalwarts of the country, that also include JVM chief Babulal Marandi, have been invited in Delhi on October 30 in which a discussion on mutual understanding and cooperation would take place. As many as six regional parties in the leadership of the left Front would be taking part.
“I do not know Third Front or Fourth Front. But yes, if some alternate political amalgamation can take place then it is good. The country is looking for an option beyond Congress and BJP,” said Babulal Marandi when asked about the political forum coming up. Besides Marandi; JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, BJD’s Naveen Patnaik, Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Yadav, AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa,
JD-S’ HD Deve Gowda would be figuring in the meet.
The way forward came after CPM leader Brinda Karat during her last Ranchi visit about a month ago met Marandi and invited him formally to join the bandwagon ahead of the polls that is largely turning out to be bipolar. Nevertheless the invitation to the JVM leader was not the only as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress had also roped in for him when party leader Mukul Roy came all the way to meet him on October 2 in Ranchi.
“There have been efforts to carve out an alliance against communalism and also against the Congress. The understanding is that we can help each other in their own bastions. Such as the JVM can play a role in mobilising tribal voters in Assam, Bengal and Odisha for the regional parties. It also an effort to raise a pressure group of eastern parties like the southern and western on the Center,” said JVM general secretary Praveen Singh. Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland People’s Front and Manik Sarkar of Tripura have also been invited to join.
Though, the amalgamation is not away from apprehensions just like it has in the past as well. Fickle mindset of Mulayam Singh Yadav and his own aspirations at the national level politics and ideological differences among the regional parties would make the way tough if not before then after the poll results. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s closeness and friendly past of the BJD and JD-U with the BJP can play spoilsport for the Front like previously.
Also the alliance is nothing to do with united fight under a unified command and perceives anything out in open after securing seats in the lok Sabha polls. “We can cooperate but there is no chance of seat sharing with any party in Jharkhand,” added Praveen Singh. Marandi also made it loud and clear that his party would field its candidate on all the 14 parliamentary seats in the State without any pre-poll alliance.