Desperate Congress leaders from Jharkhand have knocked on the doors of Delhi Darbar once again for Government formation in the State. This time, a strong team of seven party legislators met AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes on Thursday evening, to discuss and exert pressure on an 'unconvinced' high command.
Emerging from the meeting, ClP leader Rajendra Singh sounded confident about the outcome. "The meeting was very positive. We will be discussing the matter tomorrow as well. We are very near finalisation," he told The Pioneer over phone.
The Jharkhand Congress delegation saw two meetings on Thursday, one with Fernandes at Parliament Annexe and another with State in-charge Shakil Ahmed at the party office.
Sources present at the meeting confirmed that the huddle this time wants a clear and final answer from Delhi. "A long time has elapsed and the party is unable to send out a message. If there is a clear 'no' on Government formation, then I should be made clear so the State unit starts preparing for polls. If it is the intention, then the recommendation of the Home Ministry (on dissolution of the House) should be accepted," said a senior leader.
Another MlA, Geetashree Oraon, though, did not reveal much about discussions but added that their voices were heard and that they had been told to wait for "any development."
JPCC leaders are in a fix since the recommendation has come. The step has exerted sufficient pressure on both sides for going ahead either with dissolving the Assembly - put in suspended animation after imposition of President's Rule - or entering an alliance with the willing Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
"This would be probably the final meeting. They had also told me to come along but due to my prior engagements, I could not go. No MlA (of the Congress) wants to go for election now. If it happens, the party will face a serious debacle," said West Jamshedpur MlA Banna Gupta.
This is the very point the delegation is pressing with the party high command. Senior leaders in Delhi, though unwilling to form a Government for "such a short tenure," feared facing the ire of the JMM during the upcoming lok Sabha polls.
The Shibu Soren-led party has made it clear that no alliance with the Congress would be formed in case the latter backtracks from its 'commitment' to form an alternate Government.