Confident party to perform poorly in election Balmuchu bashers reassembles for his ouster

Ranchi May 6, 2009

The anti Pradeep Balmuchu camp is reassembling together for his ouster as the president of Jharkhand Congress provided the party faces route in the election. But so far this camp has been anxiously waiting for the result that will be declared on May 16 but they are confident the party will end up miserably in the election.

For Balmuchu there is no immediate threat to his seat. Sources close to him confided that a month before the election could take place Balmuchu in his report sent to the AICC had already told the party was not able to win more than two seats. The report was tagged with suggestion to change some of the candidates and the warning that the sitting Congress MPs might face anti-incumbency waves in their constituencies.

“In most of the cases the Congress MPs failed to deliver and there is the need to replace them with new faces,” another senior leader of the party close to Balmuchu quoted few lines of that report. Even though, Balmuchu camp cited it as the reason behind the denial of ticket to the sitting party MP from Khunti; Sushila Kerketta, but move was obvious—to reduce the number of his opponents in the party. He got success and managed ticket for his most trusted friend and party MLA Niel Tirkey for Khunti. But he failed in Dhanbad where his subtle diplomacy could not work against another sitting Congress MP Chandrasekhar Dubey aka Dadai Dubey.

His hope was dampened after the first phase of poll in Khunti where the polling pattern showed the BJP candidate Karia Munda seemingly took an obvious lead over Niel. Result is yet to be declared but Balmuchu camp sees little hope to win here. Move to Dhanbad where Dubey gradually consolidated his position against the strong BJP candidate P.N. Singh in the election. After the election was over even the known bete-noir of Dubey did not deny that Dubey had all probability to win. If the Congress looses election in Dhanbad this will be music to the ear of Balmuchu camp.

“The Congress will not be able to repeat success story of 2004 this time, and for this there is the single responsible factor named Balmuchu,” said a senior Congress leader who claimed their move against him will come to a logical conclusion, read Balmuchu’s exit, this time.

Nevertheless, the same group failed to get audience of the AICC Chief Sonia Gandhi and other prominent central leaders of the party a few months before the general election. But they opted other means—an open ruckus—in front of state Congress in-charge K. Keshav Rao and AICC general secretary Mukul Vasnik during the extended working committee meeting of the party in the month of March.

Consequently two media in-charge of the party Alok Kumar Dubey and Pradeep Tulasyan were removed by Balmuchu. But his opponents got their purpose solved. Balmuchu bashers made it a point that the party would not be able to perform under his leadership. The group includes scores of party MLAs and MPs who fear the denial of ticket to them and their close associates in the forth coming assembly election scheduled to be held the next year.

Elections result is expected to throw new combinations in the party. “Nobody knows which way the election result will hit the party, surely the result will have an impact on the party,” the party spokesperson Ravindra Singh told. It was more succinctly told by another leader: “Jo Jeetega wo jeet ka credit khud lega aur harne wala party president aur party ko kosega.” He was speaking in the background of open rebuff Balmuchu received at the hand of veteran Congress leader and MP Bagun Sumbrai who during campaign openly told the later was trying to script his defeat in Chaibasa.

“None of the appointments of the district presidents or any recommendations were made without getting green signals of party MPs and MLAs…unke marzi ke bagair koi patta bhi nahi hila,” he deplored the situation.

But Balmuchu has enough powerful backing in the AICC that he will use to sting his opponents to lament again.