RANCHI: Amid the ongoing tussle over the denial of seats to JMM by RJD and Congress in the Grand Alliance in the Bihar Assembly polls, Chief Minister Hemant Soren will keep away from the campaigning in the State.
Notably, Jharkhand's ruling JMM is not contesting the assembly elections in neighbouring Bihar, claiming that the decision was taken in the wake of a “political conspiracy” by its allies RJD and Congress, which deprived it of seats.
Reacting strongly over a question raised to JMM Spokesperson Manoj Pandey, he informed that Chief Minister Hemant Soren is not going to Bihar for campaigning. As of now, the party and Hemant Soren ji have no intention to go for campaigning in the Bihar elections,” said Pandey.
"If the party is not contesting in Bihar, then for whom will they campaign?" he said. The JMM leader said that the party is not even in the Mahagathbandhan, then there is no point in campaigning in Bihar.
He said that if it is required, or such a situation arises, then the party leader will take an appropriate decision.
The JMM spokesperson also clarified that the Chief Minister has not been invited to campaign in the Bihar polls. “We are making all efforts to follow the principles of ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and the government is running smoothly in Jharkhand, but this is not the case in Bihar,” said Pandey.
BJP, which has been keeping a close eye on the growing bitterness within the grand alliance, has dared JMM to break its ties with the RJD and settle scores with the Congress.
“If you have even an iota of self-respect left, break the ties with the RJD and settle scores with the Congress and send a clear message to the people that self-respect is above the pleasures of power. Only then will we believe you are a real Jharkhandi, who always sacrifice their lives to protect their self-respect,” said state BJP spokesperson Ajay Sah.
"However, amid the political rhetoric, it is certain that after the Bihar elections, major changes will happen within the Grand Alliance in Jharkhand," he added.
Notably, Bihar Assembly elections have sent ripples through Jharkhand’s political landscape, prompting Congress and the RJD to act swiftly to manage potential fallout within the state’s ruling coalition.
In the present scenario, JMM has five ministers, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, while one JMM seat remains vacant due to the demise of Ramdas Soren. Congress, on the other hand, has four ministers, and RJD has one minister -- Sanjay Prasad Yadav.
If RJD withdraws its minister, the Hemant Cabinet would reduce from 11 to 10 ministers, including the chief minister. The 81-member Jharkhand Assembly requires 41 seats for a majority.
The ruling coalition currently comprises JMM with 34 seats, Congress 16, RJD 4, and CPI(M-L) 2, totalling 56 seats, 15 above the majority mark. Even without RJD, the government would retain 52 seats, comfortably above the majority.
However, analysts caution that any move against Congress could trigger instability.