Chief Minister Hemant Soren is all set to contest from two seats in the Assembly polls this time, exposing his lack of confidence in the face of resurgent BJP. Confirming the report carried by The Pioneer on November 4, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha made it official on Friday.
The party apart from fielding the Chief Minister from Dumka has finalised his name from Barhait. “Yes, we have decided to field him from Barhait also in our party meeting. The Chief Minister will file his nomination paper on December 1,” said JMM Supriyo Bhattacharya after a party meeting.
With this, the battle at Barhait has become interesting. The CM would be up against JMM old guard and now BJP’s official candidate on the seat Hemlal Murmu. Murmu, who had snapped his decades old association with the JMM and joined the BJP ahead of lok Sabha polls, contested the parliamentary elections unsuccessfully.
Though in the renewed atmosphere and time Murmu got to prepare as BJP candidate he would be a tough nut to crack for junior Soren. He was the sitting MlA from Barhait before resigning from the Assembly.
It is being maintained from the JMM officially that the Chief Minister’s decision to contest from Barhait was based on serious “demand” from his party workers but there are opinions also suggesting the party has on its part identified one more safe seat for him in its stronghold Santhal Pargana after Dumka, where he filed papers on Thursday.