BJP may wait to benefit from anti-incumbency in Jharkhand

Jamshedpur: State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders do not seem to be in the mood to topple the state government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. In view of the resignation by three MLAs from the ruling alliance in the state and joining of two MLAs, Bandhu Tirkey and Chamlra Linda, in Trinamool Congress, the situation continues to be hazy with no clear signal about the next move of the BJP and other parties in the Opposition camp.

Party insiders said the party leaders were waiting to benefit from the anti-incumbency build-up under the Hemant Soren government. The people should see the working of the present government and its various failures before its collapse, they said.

At present, the ruling alliance has 15 MLAs from JMM (excluding the Speaker), 12 from Congress, five from Rashtriya Janata Dal, two from Trinamool Congress, one from Jharkhand Party, one from Jai Bharat Samanata Party and one from Marxist Coordination Committee. Two Independents, Harinarayan Rai and Videsh Singh, are supporting the ruling alliance. In all, the ruling alliance enjoys the support of 37 MLAs so far.

Former CM and senior BJP leader Arjun Munda and other party leaders including state BJP leader Dr Ravindra Rai and Jamshedpur East MLA Raghuvar Das have so far not revealed their strategy to deal with the current political situation in the state. They have only criticized the state government, but not said anything definitely on how they plan to bring down the government.

Munda, happy over the landslide victory of BJP in the country as well as in Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections 2014, said the BJP was waiting for the state government to fall on its own. He said the BJP was neither going to topple the government nor form a new one in haste. He remained silent on when he would be taking steps to topple the government or initiate the process of its collapse.

The state BJP president said the state government seemed headed for a collapse which will be brought down on its own. Raghuvar Das too, said the Hemant Soren government was going to collapse under its own weight.

On the Opposition side, there are 18 MLAs from BJP, one nominated, 11 from Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, six from All Jharkhand Students Union, two from Janata Dal (U) and one from Communist Party of India (ML).
One of the BJP MLAs, Laxman Gilua, has been elected as the MP of Singhbhum. He is likely to resign as MLA soon. One JVM MLA had revolted against his party last time to save the Hemant Soren government. One of the two MLAs from Janata Dal (U) may support the Hemant Soren government. In such situation, the government may prove its majority in the Assembly. But if the Opposition unites, the government may find itself in crisis.

Sources said many MLAs do not want to go for fresh Assembly elections in the current political situation.
BJP leaders said that the government is afterall going to complete its term in next few months and Assembly elections are likely to be held in November or December. In such situation, it would be wise to gain from the anti-incumbency factor instead of trying to topple the government.