The BJD’s alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) for the Assembly elections in the state has fallen through as party supremo Shibu Soren was not favour in it.
Sources said that state unit president of the JMM Sudam Marandi had two rounds of discussion with the party chief Soren at Ranchi on Tuesday. However, Soren is understood to have rejected the proposal of having an alliance with the BJD.
Alliance between the BJD and JMM for the Assembly election in Odisha was announced after discussion between Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Marandi.
The Chief Minister had announced on Friday that his party will enter into seat sharing arrangement with the JMM in tribal dominated Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts where the latter has a strong base. “The BJD will have seat sharing arrangements with the JMM in the forthcoming general elections. I am sure that both the parties will do very well jointly in Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts,” Naveen told mediapersons after he held discussions with Marandi here.
Sources maintained that following the rejection of proposal of seat sharing by Soren, a move is on to merge the Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh units of the JMM in the ruling BJD. Stating that talks are on with Marandi for the merger, a senior leader said that this will take a day or two.
While announcing seat sharing with the BJD, Marandi had said that his party decided to enter into seat sharing arrangements with the BJD primarily because the government was working for the welfare of the tribal people.
As per the deal, Marandi will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Mayurbhaj Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket while several other JMM leaders will be accommodated in assembly seats in the Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts.
Sources maintained that after the BJD’s seat sharing arrangement with the JMM fell through, the Congress is trying to rope in the party for an alliance in the State. The issue was discussed at the meeting of the senior leaders of the Congress with screening committee chairman Oscar Fernandes at New Delhi on Tuesday.