Not long ago a divided house, the Opposition may have managed to come united but on the condition of keeping some posing questions aside for the time being.
Issue of future leadership along with seat sharing formula is among the unresolved grey areas.
Insiders privy to the parleys having taken place ahead of the decision about fielding joint candidates in Silli and Gomia Assembly constituencies, going for bypoll on May 28, said that the larger issues indeed came for discussion.
“When our leadership sat together with the JMM this was discussed briefly. We have been assured of that as of now and until the final call on seat sharing is taken for 2019 Assembly elections, both Babulal Marandi (JVM supremo) and Hemant Soren (JMM executive president) are the leaders in Jharkhand. The issues would be handled amicably as and when the time comes. As of now this area has been left aside till the lok Sabha polls,” said a senior party leader of the JVM.
The JVM along with Congress and some other smaller parties is in the coalition formed for the bypolls and has gone ahead backing the JMM’s nominees at both the places. Major development came in this regard with assertion from the Congress to acknowledge Hemant Soren as the face for the next Assembly elections in the State that unsettled the JVM a bit and forced the JMM leader to drive down to Marandi for the ‘settlement’.
Moreover, the parties are finding it tough to answer questions being raised about durability of the Opposition alliance. “We know the BJP and AJSU would pose this before the people and showcase whether we came together out of their fear and there is no such internal glue present among us. Our effort would be to present similar developments having taken place in UP where arch rivals came together and scaled. This is need of the hour and the voters would also believe this,” said JVM spokesperson Yogendra Prasad Singh.
Nonetheless, the partners went on chalking out areas to be hit collectively during the campaigning which would kick start soon after Seema Mahto and Babita Devi file their nominations on May 10.
“There are tonnes of issues against the Government which has failed on each and every front starting from law and order, crime against women, hiked power tariff without providing sufficient power to the people and so on. We would sit together and decide how to go to the voters in the constituencies and list the leaders who would be given responsibilities of campaigning. Our campaign committee under Subodh Kant Sahay would be involved as per the strategy of the JMM,” said Congress legislative Party leader Alamgir Alam.