Jharkhand Opposition parties form grand alliance, elect Hemant as CM candidate

Seat sharing to be finalized before Jan 30

Congress to lead �Mahagathbandhan� in LS elections

Mail News Service

Ranchi, Jan 17: Jharkhand�s Opposition parties Thursday announced to form a Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) for the upcoming Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections and chose JMM leader Hemant Soren as their joint CM candidate.

�The grand alliance has chosen JMM as the leading party for the Assembly elections as it is the largest regional party. All prominent Opposition leaders have unanimously taken the decision to rout the BJP from Jharkhand,� Soren said.

The Opposition allies decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Congress and pitch for the Assembly battle under JMM�s umbrella. The leaders, who comprised Jharkhand Vikas Morcha president Babulal Marandi, state Congress chief Ajoy Kumar and state RJD president Annapurna Devi, gave a clarion call to rout the BJP in the upcoming state elections.

The meeting was convened at the residence of former CM and Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren. Chiefs of 10 prominent parties of the state attended the meeting to give shape to the grand alliance.

Congress president Ajoy Kumar said party president Rahul Gandhi had already declared that the Assembly elections in the state would be fought under JMM�s leadership. Both LS and Assembly polls would be contested under the grand alliance, he said.

Former CM Marandi said the BJP led governments at the Centre and in the state were trying to take over Constitutional institutions for political gains. This is why all Opposition parties have united against the �dictatorial regime�, he said.
Annapurna Devi said the entire Opposition had joined hands together against the BJP regime.

The Opposition leaders said a final call on the seat sharing decision would be taken on 30th January. They said the seat shares would be decided before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. A workable agenda would be set up before the January 30 deadline. Congress and BSP leaders of the state said they will seek consent from party leadership before the deadline and thereafter try to come at a consensus on seat sharing formula.

Sources said the state Congress in-charge RPN Singh is also expected to attend the crucial meeting of the grand alliance. Top BSP leaders are also expected to turn up at the meeting.

Other leaders present during the meeting included Congress Legislative Party Leader Alamgir ALam, CPI state secretary Bhuvneshwar Mehta, CPI state secretary Gopikant Bakhshi, CPI M-L secretary Janardan Prasad and BSP�s Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta.