The opposition ‘Mahagathbandhan’ has finalized its seat-sharing formula for 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand, half of which will be fought by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and around 25 to 28 seats by Congress.
Unlike this year’s general elections, the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) will be minus Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) with inclusion of new entrant Left parties in the alliance.
On Thursday evening final shape to Mahagathbandhan was given after a Congress delegation headed by State Congress in-charge RPN Singh and State Congress president Rameshwar Oroan drove at JMM executive president Hemant Soren’s residence. Congress legislature party leader and senior Congressman Alamgir Alam too was part of the delegation.
Sources said that the JMM and Congress have agreed to contest majority of seats leaving ten seats for RJD and Left parties.
As per alliance formula, JMM is going to contest 40 to 43 seats, while Congress will contest 25 to 28 seats. RJD and Left parties -- CPI (M), MCC and CPI (ML) -- will get five seats each.
Congress in-charge RPN Singh said, “Talks on alliance is going on and the number of seats each parties will contest will be declared soon. Our main aim is to remove Raghubar Das Government from State.”
However, the biggest surprise in the Mahagathbandhan alliance is that JVM(P) the party headed by former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi will be kept away from the alliance.
Sources said that JVM(P) has been kept away from alliance due to JVM(P) chief Babulal Marandi being adamant with his demand of not accepting JMM chief Hemant Soren to lead the alliance.
Marandi had already stated that he will not accept the leadership of Soren to lead the alliance. Moreover, JVM (P) had demanded 20 to 22 seats in the alliance, while both the JMM and Congress were ready to give ten to twelve seats to JVM (P).
Sources said that if JVM(P) is shown the door from Mahagathbandhan then the party will be left with no other alternative but to go to polls alone. Sources said that though JMM is not interested to keep JVM(P) in the alliance, a faction of Congress doesn’t want to oust JVM-P from the alliance as they fear that it will lead to split of secular votes.
In last Lok Sabha election too Mahagathbandhan partners fought against NDA alliance but the results was different.
Out of fourteen seats, the grand alliance won only two seats with Congress candidate Geeta Koda winning the Singhbhum seat while from Rajmahal JMM’s Vijay Hansdak winning the seats.
The two other constituents of grand alliance RJD and JVM(P) failed to open their account.