JAMSHEDPUR: Former Jharkhand Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Kumar Balmuchu today stressed on unity among Opposition parties to defeat BJP in the next Assembly polls in the state.
"Now on we should shelve all our differences and come under a platform to defeat BJP in the state," Balmuchu said while responding to a query about the bypolls scheduled to be held for Godda and Panki Assembly seats next month.
Addressing a press conference here, Balmuchu said a co-ordination committee meeting of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) was on in Ranchi today to explore possibilities to contest the by-polls in alliance with JMM.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that the main Opposition party in the state, JMM, has decided to go it alone and likely to announce the names of candidates for the two seats today in Ranchi, Balmuchu said JMM was free to take decision, but Congress wants to contest the by-polls in an alliance to defeat the BJP.
"The by-polls are a good opportunity for the Opposition to come under one platform to defeat BJP in the next Assembly elections in 2020," he said.
Bypolls for Godda and Panki Assembly constituencies in Jharkhand would be held on May 16.
Referring to the High court verdict regarding the Uttarakhand government, Balmuchu hailed the judgement and said it would repose people's faith in judiciary.
"The court verdict was a victory of democracy and a befitting reply to those forces who wanted to strangulate it," he said.