ROURKELA: Congress-JMM alliance seems to be in a jeopardy with the JMM leadership in Sundargarh district insisting on fielding its candidate in Birmitrapur Assembly constituency, but the sitting Congress MLA George Tirkey is in no mood to let his traditional stranglehold go.
After joining the Congress in September 2018, Tirkey has emerged as the tallest tribal leader of the party in the district and is all set to contest the Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) seat. Hence, Congress cannot afford to displease him.On the other hand, at the Odisha convention of JMM in Mayurbhanj district on Sunday, JMM working president Hemant Soren insisted that the JMM should be given Birmitrapur and Rajgangpur Assembly seats.
According to JMM insiders, Soren categorically said there cannot be any compromise on Birmitrapur. They said the local leadership of JMM may relent for Rajgangpur, but would revolt in case of Birmitrapur.
JMM’s Odisha vice-president and unsuccessful nominee for Birmitrapur in 2014 elections, Sebian Aind in a guarded reply said the JMM is hopeful of getting Rajgangpur and Birmitrapur seats from alliance partner Congress. Significantly, in third week of February Tirkey had informed the State and Central leadership of the Congress that his candidate should be given ticket for Birmitrapur.
Incidentally, Tirkey, Congress and JMM have their own compulsions. Tirkey had twice won Birmitrapur for JMM in 1995 and 2000. But, he lost both Sundargarh LS and Birmitarpur Assembly seats in 2004 when he contested as Independent candidate. He again won in 2009 and 2014 as Independent.
Meanwhile, a close aide of Tirkey said in the event of JMM contesting Birmitrapur, a rival candidate may come to the scene to spoil the game for the party.In the present scenario, the JMM’a presence has been confined to Birmitrapur with secured vote bank of above 27,000 while it has become non-existent in the rest six seats under Sundargarh LS constituency.