In a bid to ensure victory of JMM candidate and minority affairs minister Hafizul Hasan in Madhupur bypoll, the Grand Alliance comprising JMM, Congress and RJD in State has constituted a coordination committee comprising leaders from all three alliance partners and Left parties. The Grand Alliance meeting in this connection was held under the chairmanship of JMM executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his residence on Friday. The meeting apart from Soren, was attended by State Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, Health Minister Banna Gupta, Agriculture Minister Badal, Labour Resources minister Satyanad Bhokta and others.
In the meeting it was decided to chalk out a strategy to ensure a record and historic victory of the Grand Alliance candidate, under which a Coordination Committee of coalition parties and allies was formed. The Committee will remain vigilant in the area during the entire by-election and campaign in favour of the Grand Alliance candidate.
The coordination committee comprises Health Minister cum Congress MLA Banna Gupta, State Congress working president Rajesh Thakur, Abhay Singh and Ranjan Kumar from RJD, Mahendra Pathak from CPI, Ajay Singh, Gopikant Bakshi from CPI (M), Prakash Viplav from CPI (ML), Vinod Kumar Pandey and Supriyo Bhattacharya from JMM among others.
State Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon said, “In the meeting it was decided to ensure that the Grand Alliance candidate not only wins the election, but creates a history by making record margin victory.”
Echoing the views of Oraon, State Labour resources minister and Chatra MLA Satyanand Bhokta said, “In the meeting not only alliance partners attended the meet but there was participation of Left parties too in the meeting. The Left parties too will work in victory for the JMM candidate.”
The JMM has fielded son of late Haji Hussain Ansari and state minority affairs minister Hafizul Hasan from Madhupur by poll. The BJP has fielded Ganga Narayan Singh, who switched sides from AJSU a few days back.
The battle of Madhupur is a litmus test for both the alliance as BJP has already stated that in Madhupur by-poll Tamar episode will be repeated. In January 2009, then Chief Minister Shibu Soren lost the bye-election of Tamar Assembly seat to Jharkhand Party candidate Gopal Krishna Patar, aka Raja Peter by a margin of 9,062 votes. The defeat cost Soren Jharkhand chief minister's seat.
The JMM has also convened its working committee and legislative body meet on Saturday, which will be attended by JMM executive president and chief minister
Hemant Soren apart from other leaders. According to JMM sources, in the meeting party leaders will chalk out a strategy for giving momentum to campaigning.