RANCHI: In yet another blow to Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), former state unit chief and four-time MLA from Garhwa, Girinath Singh joined the BJP in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. State RJD chief Annapurna Devi and senior party leader Janardan Paswan had switched to BJP on Sunday.
Though there was speculation that he would join the BJP with Annapurna Devi, and he was expelled from the party along with three other leaders, he had denied any such possibility. Now the BJP is likely to declare its candidates for three Lok Sabha seats — Koderma, Chatra and Ranchi.
Party insiders revealed that the announcement of seats had been kept on hold as negotiations were on with Annapurna and Girinath Singh. Annapurna is likely to be fielded from Koderma while Girinath Singh will be asked to contest from Chatra.
"Annapruna to get Koderma, Girinath Chatra and Amitabh Chaudhary is likely to be fielded from Ranchi,” said a senior party leader, requesting anonymity.
In another shock to the Mahagathbandhan in Jharkhand, the Communist Party of India (CPI) announced Bhuwneshwar Mehta as its candidate for the Hazaribagh seat, which is held by the Congress. The party is also fielding Senapati Murmu from Dumka.