After hectic parleys in Delhi, the Opposition parties of the State including the JMM, Congress, JVM(P) and RJD said to have finalised the seat sharing formula for the Lok Sabha polls and leadership issue for the State Assembly elections due at the end of this year. JMM executive president Hemant Soren today met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and finalised the agreement, party sources said.
After Soren’s meeting with Gandhi, senior Congress leader RPN Singh said that it has been decided that the Congress party will lead in the Lok Sabha elections, while the JMM will lead in the Assembly elections making Hemant Soren as the face of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in the State. He said that the Congress will fight on majority of seats in the general elections, while the JMM will get the fair share of seats in Assembly polls.
Out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the State, the Congress will field its candidates in seven constituencies, JMM in four, JVM in two and RJD will fight from one seat, said party insiders.
After his return from Delhi on Thursday, JMM executive president Hemant Soren said that he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the discussions of the meeting were made clear by Congress leader RPN Singh.
“All the things will come in the public domain gradually. The formula of the Lok Sabha and the Assembly polls will be decided together. The discussion has not ended. A framework has been prepared and things will be settled in time,” he said.
Meanwhile, JVM (P) chief Babulal Marandi said that they were keen on fighting from at least three Lok Sabha seats. “We do not have a clear idea of the decisions taken in the meeting but we have been working on three Lok Sabha constituencies since long. We want to field our candidates from Koderma, Chatra and Godda constituencies.
In Godda Praddep Yadavji had worked tirelessly. He remained in jail for five months protesting against Adani Power plant and forceful land acquisition by the government,” he said.
“At this point of time the priority should be to defeat the BJP rather than think about personal gains. Congress doesn’t seem to be serious on the issue. If our demands are not met we are independent enough to put all our efforts to go along and stop the BJP with all our might and strength,” said Marandi.