Long hair's lock with beard

Peter to contest from Tamar

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Tamar is heading towards an intense and interesting electoral warfare. The browbeating of Chief Minister Shibu Soren failed to persuade beleaguered Minister of the State Cabinet and president Jharkhand Party, Ainosh Ekka, to withdraw his party candidate Gopal Krishna Patar alias Raja Peter from the electoral battlefield in favour of Soren.

Monday, the last day to withdraw nomination left Soren and the UPA leaders marooned. Peter withdrew his nomination but as an independent, not as Jharkhand Party candidate. The refusal of Ekka to withdraw Peter, his political boy, must have saddened the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the UPA leaders of Jharkhand who hoped for some miracle to come.

Meanwhile, the UPA would hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to draw further strategy after the Minister refused to fall in line. Whether Ekka should be ousted from the Cabinet could be decided in the meeting.

But there was a miracle in favour of Ekka and his party, which got a shot in its arm followed by the decision of the Election Commission (EC). As per the claim made by Ekka, the EC has recognised Jharkhand Party, the faction led by him as the original party against the claim of another faction led by the departed grand old man of Jharkhand politics NE Horo.

However, the returning officer and SDO Bundu Anil Kumar Poddar refused to divulge anything about this citing it an official matter.

According to official sources two of the candidates - Harisingh Munda and Raja Peter - (who had filed nomination as independents) withdrew their nominations. For Tamar by-election 20 candidates had filed their nominations out of which four nominations were rejected during the scrutiny.

Speaking to The Pioneer in a barb tone Ekka said: "I stand by my word…it was the decision of my party and workers to field Peter…however I was ready for compromise but was portrayed as a villain. Now I am not ready to swallow my words. Peter would contest election as an official candidate of the Jharkhand Party."

The Minister who does not mind even if his head is rolled out; after he cared a fig about the demarche served upon him by Soren blamed the UPA leadership for not getting this issue resolved amicably. Finding himself in an inclement political situation after the decision of the Minister Soren is left in a volatile situation.

However, Soren tried for a thaw after he warned Ekka to withdraw Peter from election or be ready for exit from the Cabinet. The JMM sources claimed that Soren held three such meetings with Ekka to toe the UPA line.

But the meeting came to naught after Ekka refused to understand the coalition dharma.

But contrary to this Ekka termed the JMM claim as baseless and said; "I tried to be reason with them (UPA leader) but the situation was made hostile for me… my words and arguments were not listened to."

After its formation as a separate State; Jharkhand has undergone six by-elections so far; but none of these elections and its campaign have generated such curiosity so far. The fate of the State Government now hinges upon the decision of the electorate.

Tamar is all set to witness a triangular contest among Soren, Vasundhara Munda of the JD (U) and Raja Peter of the Jharkhand Party. For a novice in politics like Vasundhara there is very much to gain in the election. However, Jharkhand's NDA will be under pressure to retain its seat despite a sympathy wave its claims having in its kitty. But for Soren it is a litmus test of his popularity against the cross wave of sympathy and the claimed popularity of Peter, a young man and good orator with long hair.