Jharkhand Cong panel looks for potential leaders

Vijay Deo Jha RANCHI Monday, June 23, 2008

Like the State BJP, the Congress too seems to have set in motion its planning for the next parliamentary as well as Assembly elections without any obvious hullabaloo. Party is planning for a come back of all such potential leaders who had deserted the party in the past. Besides, it is also to rope in other such disgruntled leaders from the other parties who could make a difference to the party prospects in the coming polls.Well-placed sources said the party formed a four men committee comprising Gulfam Nazibi, vice-president State Congress, RP Raja, political advisor to Pradeep Balmucchu, president State Congress, JP Chaudhary and VP Sharan. The committee was asked to establish rapport among the leaders who either left party in the past or those willing to join the party.The sources said the committee having met with Ramesh Singh Munda, MLA from Tamar and Radhakrishna Kisore, MLA from Chhatarpur, both from JDU, and Uday Shankar Singh, MLA from Sarath from RJD. Besides the above-mentioned names some of the independent MLAs too are on the political radar of the party. Although the party is not willing to accept this fact yet, sources hinted the committee was formed months back but not on the paper.Currently the team is eyeing on Palamu constituency where the party is informed to have received good response where some leaders might join the party, said the sources. The party would undertake similar exercise in the region of north Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana. In a recently held appraisal meeting, some two days back, the committee is reported to have discussed the outcome of the exercise.However the party is yet to decide would it welcome the new entrant with party ticket? But the sources said that some of the potential candidates could be given party tickets at least in Assembly election. While denying the existence of such shadow committee, Balmucchu, president State Congress said that the party was open to every body provided one owes allegiance to the established ethos of the party.Meanwhile after staging a successful agitation against the State Congress, the party plans to under take the same in Kolhan region, probably in the last week of this month. After Kolhan the party would show its strength in Palamu, said Alok Kumar Dubey, Spokesperson State Congress. The State capital is learnt to be the last leg of the agitation. The top leaders of the party are hopeful of to turn it into a mega event by bringing its national president and chairperson Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Rahul Gandhi and some other top guns of the party. It is learnt that an invitation to this effect would be sent to the central leaders.But an equal number of party leaders are too apprehensive about the visit of Sonia for that purpose, a long-cherished dream of the leaders of the State. However, despite adopting a sincere, brave and fight to finish attitude towards the State Government, Jharkhand is not perhaps in the priority list of the central high command, rued a top leader of the party.