Monster who finished Soren Picture by Mukesh

Lonely standing on boundry line

Soren loses But opts to remain in power game

Vijay Deo Jha/Anupam Rana Tamar/Ranchi Friday, January 9, 2009 National Edition Front Page


The defeat of Chief Minister and UPA candidate Shibu Soren in the Tamar by-election at the hands of Jharkhand Party candidate Gopal Krishna Patar alias Raja Peter has raised questions about the fate of the UPA Government in the State.

Soren, who got 25,154 votes, lost the election by a margin of 8,973 votes against his rival Peter whereas AJSU candidate Vijay Singh Manki garnered 17,047 votes. The JD (U) candidate -- Vasundhara Munda, the wife of slain JD (U) MLA Ramesh Singh Munda -- slipped to the fourth position. A total of 1,06,910 voters exercised their franchise.

As both Soren and former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda descended in the Capital, the Congress started mulling various alternatives like installing an alternative Chief Minister or going in for President's rule in the State.
The party, which has nine MLAs in the 81-member Assembly, clearly said it would not play a decisive role in choosing the next Chief Minister. The party leaders, however, hinted that Soren would have to go. All India Congress Committee in-charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken said: "We are not power-hungry. We won't take any lead in forming the next Government. However, if a new Government has to take over, the UPA allies would have to discuss and decide. Technically, the UPA is still in a majority."

Maken said the party was consulting constitutional experts on the situation which had emerged in Jharkhand. He, however, gave broad hints that Soren should step down as it was one of the rarest cases where a sitting Chief Minister had lost an election.

The Congress would not want to be the one to pull the plug. Sources said there was a strong possibility of Soren's wife or son being made the next CM. However, there was also the option of imposing President's rule in the State. A section in the party felt that the Congress had completely lost out in the State.

This section of the Congress had even favoured pulling down the Koda Government last year. However, the party was then counting on Soren's MPs for the trust vote in Parliament. This time round, there is no such compulsion. Senior leaders pointed out that it would be a good opportunity for the Congress to find its feet in the State. If the President's rule is imposed, there would be fresh elections.

A senior leader said: "We know that if Assembly elections take place, we will be in the Opposition. But at least we would be able to carve a separate identity as the main Opposition then. Right now we are living in the shadow of JMM and Koda's mis-governance."

Jharkhand is seen as a State where 'everything goes'. It could well be the only State where independent MLAs can form a Government and many Ministers keep shuttling between the UPA and NDA only to ensure that they continue being in the Cabinet.

But word is doing the rounds as to why Raja Peter, who has emerged as the 'Mahaguru' after defeating the 'Dishom Guru', cannot be appointed the next CM?

Hopefuls plan to keep celebrations low-profile

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Thursday, January 8, 2009

Today is a crucial day in the politics of Jharkhand. Still not able to get a clear picture of polling pattern and promises that sounded good and genuine to electorates of Tamar, political parties have kept their finger crossed knowing well prediction in politics are quite hazardous.

Workers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Jharkhand Party are reported to be camping on Tau Ground in Bundu, where the electronic voting machines have been kept under the security of the Central Reserve Police Forces.

By January 8 afternoons, the State will come to know who has been chosen to represent Tamar. Camping along with his supporters on the Tau Ground, Peter appeared confident about his victory: "I hope people will favour me…even if bad luck comes to my way, I will win with a margin of 10,000 votes."

Peter said: "If I win the election I would first go to Vasundhara (widow of slain MLA Ramesh Singh Munda) for her blessings and would take out a procession, which will be a low key affair, only after her permission."

The seat became vacant following the assassination of JD(U) MLA Ramesh Singh Munda, who died in the hands of Maoists. "It is not my intention to hurt anybody…any jubilation might offend the sentiment of this lady, who lost her husband," Peter tried to juxtapose humanity and politics in the single frame.

Sources in the JMM said that Soren also wanted to keep it a low profile affair if he won. But his party workers and officials who have made all sorts of arrangements to celebrate the victory.
Their argument seems to be justified. "A large number of JMM workers across Jharkhand have been camping in Tamar and Ranchi for the last one month…how we can stop them from celebration. Procession is one of the ways to thank the voters," said Suprio Bhattacharya, spokesperson JMM.

But Soren would not like it. He was not ready to contest from Tamar against Vasundhara…he was forced to do it. However he cannot stop his clan from celebration.

Election result might bring bloom or gloom for Vasundhara but her pain might revive as it is about to complete six month of the death of her husband and MLA Ramesh Singh Munda. The fate of the widow and the official nominee of JD (U) would be decided on Thursday, a day before the completion of six months of the fateful day.

High turnout in Maoist villages

Vijay Deo Jha Tamar Tuesday, January 6, 2009

It was an election day in Tamar — most sensitive, sensational and engrossing due to several factors. It was not only due to the fact that a Chief Minister was in a razor-edged contest with Raja Peter of Jharkhand Party or Vijay Singh Munda of AJSU and Vasundhara Munda of Janta Dal (U).

Tamar having it a history of naxal violence remained in the centre stage of media report filed from the different dateline; and this by-election too could not escape the attention of the media and fear of the people who apprehended a low turn out of the voters with another worse fear in their mind—the poll would take its toll.

A visit of nearly a dozen of sensitive polling booths and villages situated in the remote and rugged terrain of Tamar with red flags fluttering atop brought surprise. Voters mostly agriculture labourers and illiterates thronged in large number to elect their representative. Even the villagers supported the police forces in nabbing those who were creating nuances at the polling booth. At booth number 209 in Palna village the people helped the police party to nab a JMM activist who was trying to allure the voters with bags.

Interestingly polling passed off peacefully without any hustle-bustle in these villages with high turnout—81 percents in some of the cases.

It would take not less than two hours for a trekker to reach Kandeburu a naxal affected village. A battalion of Central Reserve Police Force has been camping here for the last one month to smoke out the naxal groups for a free and fair election. The village having a scattered population of not more than 1000 who survive on agriculture and odd labour have no menace of communication—road does not exist.

Here defying call for the boycott of the election villagers turned in unexpected number at booth number 235 which has been declared super sensitive. More than 50 percents voters had cast their vote. Sukhlal a 50 years old peasant said: "Ye election hai babu aur jaise khet me kaam karte hai usi tarah vote bhi ek kaam hai." (This is election sir and as we work in the field so voting is also a work for us.)

While the gun trotting alert CRPF personals were moving around the area; the voters were sitting in the queue. It included a large number of women who could show you their voter identity cards.

"They turned very late for the polling" said Bindeswari Upadhyay CRPF head constable. "Initially we thought no body would come for voting… nobody could be seen around the polling booth till 11 AM this morning…but they began trickling in reluctantly after performing their work in the field", he said.

An hour before the closing of the polls a good number of voters had cast their votes with another 200 people waiting outside with poll slips in their hand.

Even CRPF personals had taken initiatives to instill confidence among them to turn out for polling.

Village Basukucha has a different case altogether—no road, no police party come for patrolling and no political party asked them their vote. The villagers share the same lot with the inhabitants of the village Antabera and Jargo.

A local villager Dinesh said: "They (naxal) often criticize election but we decided to vote and hope it would bring road and water for us." At Basukucha there was record turn out of voters 81 percents the officials claimed.

But they cast their vote with cynicism: will this election bring any change for them. While the rest of Tamar is echoing with promises to bring water in the canal these villagers are forced to consume polluted water gushing out of nearby hill. It is not election but water that took toll of many.