Hemant Soren meets Kharge, Rahul Gandhi a day after Congress failed badly in Haryana & JK

New Delhi/Ranchi: With political dynamics changing in the national level and Jharkhand assembly elections knocking the door, Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) held a key meeting in Delhi with Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to discuss the future of the alliance between the JMM, Congress, and RJD.

Soren was joined by his wife, Kalpana Soren, who is also an MLA from Gandey, for the talks, which took place just a day after the election results in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were announced.

The upcoming elections, expected to be held in November alongside Maharashtra, have put pressure on the alliance as the JMM is pushing for a larger share of seats. Sources suggest that the JMM is looking to gain additional constituencies due to Congress’s recent poor performance in other states.

In the 2019 elections, the JMM, Congress, and RJD formed a successful alliance, winning a majority in Jharkhand’s 81-member Assembly. However, tensions are rising as each party is now seeking to contest more seats than before. The JMM, which was the leading force in 2019, is aiming to increase its share by 3-4 seats, while Congress is hoping to contest 33 constituencies this time. The RJD, meanwhile, has made a bold demand for 22 seats, a significant jump from the seven it contested last time.

Behind the scenes, talks of seat-swapping and candidate selection are heating up. A senior JMM leader noted, “Our party has grown stronger under Chief Minister Soren, and we are ready to take on more seats this time.”

Congress, too, is preparing for a tough fight. With over 2,500 applications from potential candidates, the party has formed a committee to finalize its list for all 81 seats. However, Congress insiders hint that some constituencies might be swapped with alliance partners based on local factors and the strength of candidates.

On the other hand, the RJD, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav, is preparing to negotiate hard. Kailash Yadav, RJD’s general secretary in Jharkhand, said, “We have supported this alliance through thick and thin, and we are now stronger. We are demanding 22 seats and believe we deserve them.”

Meanwhile, the CPI (ML) is also eyeing a bigger role. Following its merger with the Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC), the party now has a stronger presence in at least four constituencies in North Chhotanagpur and is looking to push its agenda within the alliance.

As the alliance partners negotiate their strategies and seat-sharing arrangements, a major question looms: Can the JMM, Congress, RJD, and CPI (ML) work together under the INDIA bloc? Or will internal disagreements open the door for the BJP to challenge their hold on Jharkhand? With election season fast approaching, the stakes are higher than ever.