Jharkhand Congress may be sounding euphoric about the maiden visit of its national president Rahul Gandhi of the State first time after he took charge of the top Congress post, but its partners of the ‘grand alliance’ are not feeling the same buzz. Their chips are down where unfinished seat sharing formula is primarily to blame.
Nevertheless, the party has sent formal invitation to all its partners, namely the JMM, the JVM, the RJD and also from the Left parties urging their leaders to attend the March 2 rally in Ranchi, participation is yet to be confirmed.
Sources in the Congress said that JMM executive president Hemant Soren, JVM supremo Babulal Marandi and RJD State chief Annapurna Devi along with others have been invited for the public meeting which is considered as the Opposition hitting election gong against the BJP-led dispensation. One of main components of the Mahagathbandhan- the JMM- is said to be busy with its Sangharsh Yatra while the JVM has termed it purely a Congress programme. “JMM’s Sangharsh Yatra is concluding on the same day where our leader Hemant Soren would remain present. The Congress is in touch with him. Noting (about Hemant Soren’s sharing dais with Rahul Gandhi) has been finalised yet,” said party general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.
Similar are the views of the JVM that is still awaiting the seat sharing formula to be inked in the State. “Babulal Marandi and some other leaders would remain there but the rally would have seen better participation of ours if the seats were finalised. Not much time is left in the elections. It should have been done and formally announced. The rally could have been joint comprising all the alliance partners,” said party vice president Saba Ahmed.
Though the formula to distribute 14 Lok Sabha seats among its partners is more or less settled between the Congress and the JMM but smaller participants coming in the form of the JVM, the RJD and the Left are far from satisfied with just three seats left alone for them. However with ‘mighty BJP’ back of their mind, the issue is unlikely to snowball much.
Congress on its part is also in no mood to give much space to the partners in the rally. “We have sent formal invitation to likeminded parties who are partnering us into the anti-BJP alliance under Congress leadership. The stage is going to be purely of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi as sole leader over there. This is going to be a Congress’ rally,” said a senior leader of the Pradesh Congress Committee.
Besides the AICC chief, it is likely that three of its newly elected Chief Ministers in the form of Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan may also attend the programme which is being dubbed as ‘Ulgulan Maharally’ by the Congress and aimed to drive the BJP out of power.