Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 20: The failure of the opposition “Mahagathbandhan” partners to iron out the seat-sharing formula for the Bihar Assembly elections forcing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to cry out of the contest, is also likely to have its adverse impact in the neighbouring Jharkhand where the ruling party has threatened to walk of the INDIA bloc.
Days after it decided to go solo, the JMM, the ruling party in Jharkhand, on Monday announced that it would not contest the Assembly elections in Bihar claiming that the decision was taken in the wake of a “political conspiracy” by its allies the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress depriving it seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan.
Speaking to reporters, senior JMM leader Sudivya Kumar said his party would review the alliance in Jharkhand with the Congress and RJD, and give a befitting reply to the “snub.” The announcement to pull out of the contest came two days after the party chief and Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren-led party said it would go solo in Bihar and also released the list of the six seats in Bihar where it said it would put up its candidates.
“The RJD and the Congress are responsible for depriving JMM from contesting the election as part of a political conspiracy. JMM will give a befitting reply to this, and review its alliance with RJD and Congress,” said Kumar, the state tourism minister. JMM on Saturday had announced that it would contest Chakai, Dhamdaha, Katoria, Manihari, Jamui and Pirpainti seats, which are slated to go to polls in the second phase on November 11. Monday was the last day for filling nominations for the seats going to the polls in the second phase.
In the absence of a firm understanding among the alliance partners over seat-sharing, the RJD also on Monday released the list of 143 candidates, five of whom would end up contesting against nominees of the other INDIA bloc constituents. Out of 143, the party has fielded 24 women candidates and 16 Muslims.
The list was released just few hours before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase was to be over. It put paid to rumours that the RJD was going to contest the Kutumba seat, currently held by state Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram, which would have led to a full-blown face-off between the two allies.
Nonetheless, the party would end up contesting against the Congress in Vaishali, Lalganj and Kahalgaon, and against former State Minister Mukesh Sahni’s Vikassheel Insan Party in Tarapur and Gaura Boram. Notable among the candidates are Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur), Alok Mehta (Ujiyarpur), Mukesh Raushan (Mahua) and Akhtarul Islam Shahin (Samastipur), all of whom will be defending their sitting seats.
The “MY” (Muslim-Yadav) support base of the party appears to have been kept in mind in the selection of candidates, though other backward castes and upper castes have also been given ticket. The principal opposition party can also pride itself in having fielded 21 women, far more than its main rivals the JD(U) and the BJP.
The JD(U) and the BJP, the two main constituents of the ruling NDA, are contesting 101 seats each. Often charged by its detractors with having ushered in “jungle raj” while in power, the RJD has preferred realpolitik to an image makeover.
The Congress also on Monday released another list of six candidates for the Bihar Assembly polls, taking the total number of candidates announced by the party to 60.
The Congress’s list was announced post-midnight. Chinks in the INDIA bloc’s armour became all too obvious on Sunday when the disgruntled aspirants in the RJD and the Congress enjoyed a field day accusing the leaders of both the parties of giving the party ticket for a price.