GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 15th July. In Jharkhand, the Congress, a member of the ruling UPA, has been left red-faced after dominant partner JMM declared its support for the NDA candidate in the upcoming presidential election, amid political speculation about the tribal party’s growing closeness to the BJP.
The UPA partners Congress and RJD are supporting opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, a Jharkhand native, in the July 18 presidential election, and JMM had initially supported his candidacy.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, a tribal party, was caught in an obvious bind when the NDA announced the name of Droupadi Murmu, who, if elected, will be the country’s first tribal woman president.
Murmu and Soren are both tribal leaders from the Santhal ethnic group, which has a sizable population in Jharkhand and neighbouring Odisha, where she is originally from.
According to some analysts, JMM was torn between supporting the “son of the soil” and a “fellow tribal.”
The JMM’s decision to back Murmu comes at a time when its executive president and Jharkhand chief minister, Hemant Soren, is facing legal action in a case of office of profit in a mine lease and alleged money laundering. Furthermore, the Election Commission has set August 5 as the next date for hearing in the mine lease case, in which the BJP has sought his disqualification as a member of the Legislative Assembly under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
After photos of Soren extending a warm welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his July 12 visit to Jharkhand to unveil projects worth over Rs 16,800 crore went viral, there wasn’t much left to the imagination about their growing friendship.
“Jharkhand will turn into a leading state soon in the next five to seven years if we get continuous support from the Centre,” Soren had said while sharing the stage with PM Modi, while his party’s posters and placards welcoming PM Modi dotted Deoghar, where the PM inaugurated the state’s second airport.
On June 27, Soren met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other NDA leaders in New Delhi, but he ignored Sinha’s nomination. Even though the results of his discussion with Shah were not made public, it was stated that “important issues concerning the state” were discussed.
When Murmu, a former governor of Jharkhand, arrived in Ranchi on July 4 to seek support from its MLAs and MPs, Soren gave her a warm welcome.
According to JMM insiders, the final decision to support Murmu is the result of “bonhomie” during the prime minister’s visit.
Rajesh Thakur, president of the Congress state unit, when asked for his views, said “As a coalition partner we expected JMM to support the UPA candidate. But it is free to take its own decision. It will not adversely impact the alliance, which was formed in the state only to contest the Assembly election and not for any other matter, including the voting in the presidential election.”
He had earlier said that if the JMM does not support Sinha, it will send a negative message to the people of Jharkhand.
On the condition of anonymity, a Congress leader stated that the “bonhomie” between JMM and BJP is “merely to find an escape from the ongoing probes against Soren.”
Another leader suggested that a few Congress legislators might cross-vote in Jharkhand because the appointment of a tribal to the top constitutional post is seen as a “historic step” by some.
While Murmu’s victory is assured even without JMM’s support, Soren’s declaration of support for her is a boost for the NDA.
The BJP, Jharkhand’s main opposition party, has praised JMM’s decision to back Murmu.
“Thanks to Dishom Guru Shri Shibu Soren Ji and Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri @Hemant Soren Ji,” Union Minister Arjun Munda said in a tweet.
The BJP has 11 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, while the JMM, Congress, and All Jharkhand Students Union each have one.
One Rajya Sabha MP from the state belongs to the Congress, two to the JMM, and three to the saffron party.
The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has 48 seats in the 81-member state assembly. JMM has 30 seats on its own.
The BJP has 26 legislators, including former JVM-P chief Babulal Marandi, who joined the BJP after the 2019 assembly elections.
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