RANCHI: Three days after a bitter blame game erupted within Jharkhand’s ruling alliance over the Rajya Sabha election outcome, the Congress appeared to shift into damage control mode, stressing coalition unity and urging its allies to exercise restraint.
At a press conference at Congress Bhawan in Ranchi on Saturday, attended by three ministers and 12 MLAs, the party appeared determined to put the controversy behind it and bring the issue to a close.
Party leaders sought to soften the sharp exchanges that followed the unexpected defeat of Congress-backed Rajya Sabha candidate Pranav Jha.
Senior Congress leaders and ministers, who had earlier targeted alliance partners with strong criticism, now underscored the importance of maintaining Mahagathbandhan unity and preventing the BJP from capitalising on internal rifts.
“Congress is ready to drink poison, but the alliance will not break,” said Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore.
Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh said the allegations levelled by the BJP and the RJD against the party’s state in charge, K Raju, and its MLAs regarding the Rajya Sabha election result were baseless and unfortunate.
Kamlesh asserted that the Congress Legislature Party voted in favour of the Mahagathbandhan backed candidate with complete unity, discipline and commitment.
“The party’s top leadership is in dialogue with the leadership of our alliance partners, and the situation is being closely analysed,” he said. “Therefore, we expect our allies to refrain from engaging in public accusations and counter accusations.”
Reacting to the unexpected result despite the alliance’s claimed backing of 56 MLAs, Congress leaders called for a detailed review of the election and raised concerns over possible cross voting.
The party alleged that the defeat was driven by the influence of “money power” and accused the BJP of attempting to exploit the outcome to sow discord within the alliance for political advantage.
Congress leaders asserted that all party MLAs had voted faithfully for the alliance backed candidate and said the outcome raised serious questions warranting a thorough review. They maintained that if the Mahagathbandhan’s claimed strength failed to translate into votes, it should prompt collective introspection among all alliance partners.
The party also highlighted the efforts made by Chief Minister Hemant Soren in formulating the alliance’s election strategy and expressed confidence that he would conduct a comprehensive review of the developments.
Calling for political maturity, the Congress appealed to its coalition partners to refrain from public mudslinging and allegations. Party leaders said the priority should be to identify the factors behind the defeat rather than indulge in a blame game that could undermine the alliance’s unity.
Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Pradeep Yadav said the Grand Alliance government in Jharkhand would continue to function.
“The Congress will not withdraw from the government. The BJP's plans will not succeed here,” said Yadav.
Congress leaders further criticised the BJP, saying that one Rajya Sabha victory should not be interpreted as a larger political shift in Jharkhand. They argued that the state’s political landscape continues to be dominated by the Mahagathbandhan and accused the BJP of relying on financial influence to secure electoral gains.