JMM to contest Godda, Panki bye-elections independently

Jamshedpur, April 21: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will contest the Godda and Panki assembly bye-elections independently. The party will decide on the names of the candidates after a meeting with Godda and Panki Assembly constituency workers in Ranchi on Friday.

The names will be announced by Hemant Soren, informed Supriyo Bhattacharya, spokesperson and general secretary of the party while addressing a press meet on Friday.

He said that during the last few years they have sent RJD and Congress candidates to Rajya Sabha and in the Lok Sabha elections they were satisfied with four seats out of which they won two seats and lost the other two by slender margins.

�In the previous assembly elections, RJD and Congress betrayed us but we still managed to win 19 seats. We ran the government for more than one year and as we did not form a pre-election coalition, BJP was able to form the government,� he added.

On Wednesday, Congress and RJD representatives came for forming coalition ahead of the Godda and Panki bye-elections, but Hemant Soren rejected their proposal, JMM leader noted.

When asked whether DIG Samir Marik of Odisha, who recently joined JMM, would be the candidate from Godda, Bhattacharya said that Samir is a party candidate, but it will be finalized on Friday whether he will get the ticket or not.

Commenting on PM Narendra Modi�s schedule visit to Jamshedpur, Supriyo Bhattacharya said Prime Minister is coming to the place, which is run by industrial houses and where people don�t have the right for a third vote (local civic bodies). Hence, the PM should cancel his visit on his own.