It has been more than a week BJP announced the list of candidates of 10 parliamentary seats in Jharkhand. However, the party is yet to announce the names for Ranchi, Chatra and Koderma seats. Out of these three seats interestingly, Chatra falls in the list of parliamentary segments, for which the notification of fourth phase of elections is to start on Tuesday (April 2).
As per Election Commission of India poll date announcement, Chatra, Palamu and Lohardaga will go to poll on April 29. Nomination for the polls will begin from April 2 and April 9 is the last date of filling the nominations and April 12 being the last date of withdrawal. Out of these three seats, both the BJP and Grand Alliance are to announce candidates from Chatra.
Lots of water has flown under the bridge in past one week, with both BJP and Grand Alliance perplexed in announcing the candidates. In last seven days a lots of action has happened in BJP, RJD former state President Girinath Singh has joined BJP and said to be one of probable contender for Lok Sabha from Chatra.
Sources said that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is said to be behind Girinath joining the BJP camp. Girinath is founder member of RJD in Jharkhand (earlier Bihar). After the death of his father Gopinath Singh he became RJD MLA for first time in bypoll in 1993 from Garhwa on Janta Dal ticket and thereafter represented the seat in 1995, 2000 and 2005.
Similar is the situation in Koderma after RJD State president Annapurna joined the BJP fold. Annapurna, a four time RJD MLA from Koderma, is said to probable contender from Koderma. A senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “In last seven days a lot of permutation and combination has changed in Chatra and Koderma after Girinath and Annapurna joined the party. After having discussion with all senior leaders of state and centre, the names will be finalized for three seats which the BJP Central election Committee will announce within day or two. Also, the sitting MPs report card has been taken into account.” BJP state president Laxman Gilua had already stated the report of Chatra and Koderma MP is not satisfactory indicating that both Chatra sitting MP Sunil Singh and Koderma MP Ravindra Rai are unlikely to be fielded.
However, sources said that Sunil Singh and Rai are camping in Delhi meeting senior leaders for securing BJP ticket from Chatra and Koderma respectively.
In Chatra the confusion is not only within BJP but Congress, which has received the seat as per seat sharing arrangement between four partners of grand alliance is too to declare its candidate. Adding confusion in grand alliance is RJD adamant to contest from Chatra. RJD, the younger partner in grand alliance, has received Palamu seat, but the party has announced Ghuran Ram from Palamu and Subhash Yadav from Chatra seat as party candidate.
Rajiv Ranjan State Congress spokesperson said, “On April 2, the CEC has convened a meeting for finalizing the names of candidates. The meeting will be headed by Congress national president Rahul Gandhi.” Ranjan also claimed that the confusion over Chatra seat too will be cleared by April 2, as senior leaders from Congress, JMM and JVM are pacifying RJD to withdraw their candidate from Chatra so as check the split of secular votes. For Ranchi seat the Congress has announced Subodh Kant Sahay as party candidate and BJP has given all indications that Ram Tahal Choudhary will be replaced this time.
Amid all this, the supporters of Ram Tahal Choudhary, the outgoing Member of Parliament from Ranchi created ruckus at the party office in State Capital.