Ranchi: With the assembly elections around the corner, everyone in Jharkhand wants to take the poll plunge as the national, regional parties and independent candidates are gearing up to take up the gauntlet. The INDIA Alliance has already announced the seat-sharing formula, drawing flak from RJD.
On October 19 Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared that JMM and Congress will contest 70 seats, leaving the remaining seats to RJD and CPI(ML). This irked RJD which termed the decision as an insult as their leader Tejaswi Yadav was not invited to the press conference even after being present at a city hotel. This prompted Soren and Congress' media in-charge Gulam Ahmed Mir to rush to meet Yadav to pacify him. After the hubbub, RJD leaders maintained that everything was fine for the time being. Its minister Satyanand Bhokta also claimed that there was no rift in the alliance and that talks were going on for some seats. After this, RJD leaders held a meeting and authorised party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to approve the names of candidates to contest in 22 seats.
Bitterness between RJD leaders continued till October 20 when its Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha clarified the party's position on some matters and said preparations were in full swing for the 19.
Jharkhand Mahila RJD state president Rani Kumari directly attacked JMM-Congress, saying no leader and worker of the party will tolerate the insult of Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav. If Soren wants to become the CM, he would have to respect RJD. Now neither will we tolerate insult nor will we sacrifice the seats.
The CPI(ML) has put forward the demand for six seats and met Soren on October 21 at the latter's residence on Kanke Road to stake their claim. CPI(ML) leader Arup Chatterjee said, "Our claim is on six assembly seats --Nirsa, Sindri, Bagodar, Dhanwar, Jamua and Panki".
The BJP has announced 66 candidates, AJSU eight candidates. The Chatra seat can go to former LJP (R) MLA former MLA Janardan Paswan after his return to the party.
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