Jharkhand Congress MP Geeta Koda may join BJP ahead of 2024-polls
RANCHI: Speculations are rife that Congress working president and MP from Singhbhum Geeta Koda may join BJP ahead of 2024-Lok Sabha Polls as, recently, she has been staying away from party programs and even was absent during the Jharkhand Congress in-charge Avinash Panday's visit.
BJP is striving to win all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand and if Geeta Koda joins the party, it would be easier for them to achieve the goals.
Earlier in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP managed to win Khunti, Lohardaga and Dumka (ST) reserve seats, but Singhbhum and Rajmahal went into Congress and JMM's account respectively. Presently, BJP-AJSU alliance has 12 out of the total 14 Parliamentary seats in Jharkhand.
"We are making all efforts to get Geeta Koda in saffron fold and waiting for the right time to induct her into BJP," BJP source.
It is being speculated that many of the political leaders, including Geeta Koda, may join the party during Prime Minister Narandera Modi’s visit to Ulihatu, the birth place of tribal hero and freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, on November 15.
Concerned with the shrinking vote bank in tribal areas, BJP is making all efforts to win the confidence of tribal voters which is said to be a traditional vote bank of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). If Geeta Koda joins BJP, it will become easier for the party to make a dent in the six Assembly seats coming under
Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat as she has strong cadres on all these constituencies.
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Geeta Koda’s husband, Madhu Koda, also has strong influence over the tribal vote bank in Singhbhum and said to be the man behind Geeta Koda's political achievents. Madhu Koda had contested for the first time from Jagarnath Assembly seat from BJP ticket and
said to be an old RSS cadre.
There is also a buzz in political circles that Saryu Roy will rejoin BJP ahead of 2024 polls. Roy, a veteran BJP leader, after being denied ticket from the party in 2019 Assembly polls from Jamshedpur West, contested from Jamshedpur East as an independent candidate and defeated the sitting MLA and the then CM Raghubar Das with significant votes.
According to political experts, there are two big challenges before the BJP here in 2024-polls -- first, to repeat the 2019 Lok Sabha election results, and second, to regain the lost power of the state in the Assembly elections scheduled next year.
The BJP has chosen Babulal Marandi to lead in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2024 to storm Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s tribal citadel.