JMM mounts pressure on Cong to help form Govt

Raiv/Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Monday, April 27, 2009

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has quietly started mounting pressure on the Congress to install the JMM-led Government in the State after May 16 even after knowing well that ground reality in Jharkhand is not supportive at all.

With two vacant seats —Simaria and Poraiyahaat — and a dozen of MLAs contesting general elections in Jharkhand, the election result might affect the total strength of the Assembly. The JMM banked on the Congress to fulfill its promise which it had made to keep the formwer in the Congress-led UPA fold to contest general elections in Jharkhand.

But JMM leadership believes that the result of the general elections will be a blessing in disguise for the party. "Just after the results of the elections are declared in the country, we will pressurise the Congress to install the JMM Government if the UPA Government comes back in power at the Centre. We hope that the Congress will fulfill its promise," said chief whip of the party Mathura Mahto.

However, he was unable to state how the party will garner the magic number. JMM chief Shibu Soren, who contested Jamtara by-election, has just one thing to say that it was the part of the deal. Even the Congress has been in dilemma as the JMM has started sending notes to the Congress camp.

Any prospective Government is impossible to be formed without the support of independents and the RJD. The RJD, which moved out of the UPA fold to contest general elections, is in no mood to support any JMM-led Government. In the House of 82, the RJD has seven MLAs and the previous Government led by Madhu Koda and Soren largely banked upon the RJD to run the Government.

Besides, there are 11 independent MLAs who are crucial to form the Government"Please note we are not going to support any Government led by the JMM or the Congress. We want fresh elections in Jharkhand which is the only solution to end political uncertainty in the State," said a senior RJD leader dashing the hope of the JMM. Stating confidently, a senior JMM leader said that at least two or three MLAs of different parties, including BJP's Arjun Munda, Karia Munda and one independent Madhu Koda, are sure to win the election.

"This number could grow and in a House where the number would probably reduce around 75, it will be easier for us to garner requisite numbers," a senior party functionary sounded this logic. However, Congress sees little chance of the formation of the Government. "Nothing can be said about the next Government. It depends upon whether the UPA comes to power at the Centre and perform well in the election," said a Congress source.

After Guruji, JMM goes to poll without manifesto

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Sunday, April 19, 2009

This is going to be a too much too late story.

In this general election the JMM has not made any promises at all nor did it take credits of the works done by the party in the past. It is because the party is contesting elections in Jharkhand and elsewhere without any manifesto.

Yes, it has released a one page ‘Sankalp Patra’ for Dumka and Jamtatra where the party chief Shibu Soren has been contesting parliamentary and Assembly poll.

The top leaders accepted this fact candidly; stated reasons behind it without involving any circumlocution. "Yes, we have no manifesto this time. However, manifesto is in completed form and has probably come out of the printing press. But we could not release it as our leader Guruji is ill," the senior party leader and office in-charge of the party Shailendra Bhattacharya accepted this.

This is for the first time when the JMM is contesting elections without any manifesto. Even in the past, in mid 80s the JMM chief used to issue handwritten copy of the manifesto when printing and such other things, read financial resources, were scarily available.

The first phase of the elections is over and the elections for the second phase will be held on April 23 and delay reasonably demands answer whether the JMM will release manifesto after the elections are over finally. Bhattacharya on this explained that a couple of days are left for the second phase of the election. "See something will happen within two days," he seemed to have absolved himself from this lapse which, however, does make impact on the mind of the majority of voters who do not read manifesto before they cast their ballot.

"Who reads manifesto and who cast vote after reading this…releasing manifesto is a political ritual. We are more practical than the BJP and Congress. Our core constituency-the tribal and depressed; recognize us by the work done by Guruji" a senior party leader said.

Not only manifesto but also the campaign of the JMM has suffered in the absence of Soren who is not available for campaign due to his illness. Even these thing depends upon him (Soren)" said another party leader "right from campaigning to the supply of the election materials. You can see that the party flags are conspicuously absent across the constituencies and even in Dumka where he is contesting."

It created a political vacuum in the JMM after Soren was hospitalized. And there is no second rung leadership to take rein of the party in his absence. Come, the election of Jharkhand state assembly: JMM promise to release manifesto.

Durga set to take revenge from Cong for Tamar fiasco

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Front Page

The last date to withdraw nomination papers has lapsed and Durga Soren is still in the fray.

The estranged UPA partners in Jharkhand — the Congress and the JMM — have charted different courses though without making any announcement of their formal divorce. Durga Soren is yet another episode in the love-hate chemistry of the shaky UPA coalition.

The eldest son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren refused to withdraw his nomination from Godda as the official candidate of the party stating that he was determined to avenge on the Congress the defeat of his father in the Tamar Assembly bypoll.

The decision has left the state Congress shocked. "We want the JMM chief to give his final word over this issue immediately. The JMM is left with two options: either to disown Durga as the JMM candidate or to reconsider its relation with the Congress," the State Congress incharge K Keshav Rao said. The Congress is ready to grill the JMM and Shibu Soren over several points that went into the making of Durga as the official candidate of the party despite a letter written by the former to the chief electoral officer on last Saturday stating Durga was not among the party candidates who were given party symbols to fight the elections.

Hazaribagh and Koderma, where both the combines agreed for a friendly fight, are altogether a different case from Godda which is a battle of hatred. JMM chief Shibu Soren has been constantly reminding that the party had a poll pact with the Congress but that failed to impress Durga.His decision must have left Congress nominee from Godda Furkan Ansari fuming as to what role he played in the defeat of Shibu, when the former was not in the picture at all in the from Tamar bypoll.

But one of the close aides of Durga said that it was Furkan, who virtually blocked the road of Shibu at a time when he was quite unwilling to contest from Tamar. Soren had made his choice for Jamtara that could have been a safe bet for him, but that could not happen due to strong opposition from Furkan. On Wednesday; the last day of the withdrawal of the nomination; the wary Congress leader in Godda and in the State capital anxiously waited for Durga to withdraw his nomination.

But he better thought to execute his oath to route the Congress in Godda probably unaware of the gloomy poll prospect of his own party in the poll. "Godda is no Jharkhand and there are other constituencies where the JMM needs the support of the Congress to win," Furkan fired an angry riposte over the whole fuss. If not directly then indirectly, Furkan told that Jamtara Assembly constituency falls within Godda where Guruji has filed his nomination paper to reoccupy the post of Jharkhand's Chief Minister that he lost after facing electoral discomfiture in Tamar.

In the past one month, the seat-sharing exercise of the UPA took several curious turns but Durga puzzled the Congress most. Only on Tuesday, the JMM and the Congress jointly stated confirming Durga has fallen in line and he would withdraw from the fray. The agitated Furkan curtly described it the conspiracy of 'father and son' who speak and act differently on the face but share same thought.

"If Durga is their candidate," as Shibu said, "then he (Shibu) must explain how Durga managed the party symbol. Shibu should lodge a criminal case against his errant son for obtaining signed nomination documents," Furkan contended. The returning officer of Godda has already rejected the contention of the Congress where it claimed that Durga filed nomination without the consent of his party. Confirmation letter to his candidature was soon dispatched to the office of the returning officer before the hearing.