BJP’s hope for a pre-poll alliance with Jharkhand stalwart Babulal Marandi seems to have crashed. The former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha supremo on Tuesday declared he would work for a non-Congress and non-BJP Government at the Centre, a position already articulated by many others who are exploring possibilities of a Third Front after the national election next year.
Marandi’s clear ‘No’ to the BJP — his parent outfit — comes in the backdrop of recent overtures by Narendra Modi who wants the popular leaders to be back in the party fold. “My effort will be to see a non-BJP and non-Cong Government at the Centre,” Marandi told The Pioneer.
Having put up an impressive show in the recent State by-elections, Marandi is treading cautiously. In maintaining equidistance from the Congress and BJP, he plans to make inroads into the support base of these two parties. The gradual decline of JMM, whose tallest leader Shibu Soren has been rather unwell, also provides Marandi an opportunity to pocket majority of tribal votes and consolidate his base in JMM’s Santhal Pargana.
“We faced the 2009 election without much preparedness and organisational structure. Since then we have grown in strength and now we have a party structure. We are giving tough fight to all these three parties. Result of a recent by-election to Assembly shows that we gained at the cost of BJP, Congress and JMM,” Marandi said.
Marandi is also dismissive about a Modi wave in the country. “On one hand Modi says there is a wave (in his favour) and then seeks allies. If he is so confident (about the wave), then the BJP should contest all the 544 lok Sabha seats. This is a contradiction in itself,” Marandi said.
A leader with RSS background, Marandi formed Jharkhand Vikas Morcha in 2006 and his party is now one of the key “players” among the minority community. Muslims constitute around 14 per cent of Jharkhand’s population and coupled with Christians, they play a crucial role in deciding the fate of candidates in majority of the seats.