Mahagathbandhan will retain power in Jharkhand: Congress

Ahead of the Jharkhand Legislative assembly elections, state Congress Working President Sanjay Paswan claimed that the ''Mahagathbandhan'' will come to power. Paswan said that if it comes to power, the Mahagathbandhan''s roadmap would be about taking Jharkhand on the top of the country.

New Delhi: Jharkhand Congress working president Sanjay Paswan has claimed that the ''Mahagathbandhan'' will come to power in the mineral-rich state as the people have witnessed that the BJP-ruled government has not been able to deliver on any front in the last five years.

When asked why being a national party Congress was contesting on lesser seats than a regional party like the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Paswan told a news agency, "Congress always believed on coalition dharma. Wherever we think we are strong, we are contesting. We (JMM, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal) share the same ideology.

"If they think we are afraid of the BJP, it is their misunderstanding. People of Jharkhand have seen them in the past five years. In fact, the BJP is themselves afraid of losing as they are contesting the elections in five phases. Once they said they will remove ''Naxalism'' from our state when they claim it has been removed then why are the elections going four-five phases?"

"They (AJSU) are more or less the same. I feel after the results they will again switch hands with them (BJP). We have seen them for the last 19 years, we don't know about them."

If it comes to power, the Mahagathbandhan''s roadmap would be about taking Jharkhand on the top of the country, Paswan said.

"Firstly, we will provide employment to the youth of Jharkhand so we don't have to go away from our state. The present BJP-led government did nothing for the youths except looting them. They have given all the mineral-rich lands to the industrialists who are getting benefitted while our youths are struggling for jobs.

"We will change whatever has happened. Every single person of Jharkhand will be happy when we take charge," he concluded.

Jharkhand will go to polls in five phases from November 30.

Fighting in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress is contesting 31 of the state's 81 seats, the JMM 43, and the RJD seven.