In Jharkhand, the political contest is being keenly watched. While both – the ruling INDIA block and opposition NDA have finalized their seat sharing for the crucial assembly elections, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is walking a tightrope in the state polls. In the NDA, the BJP is contesting 68 Seats, AJSU 10, JDU 2 and LJP 1 while in the INDIA Bloc, the JMM and Congress are contesting 70 seats together, leaving just 11 for the RJD and the Left front. Of these 70 seats, 41 are expected to go to the JMM and 29 to the Congress.
Now, Hemant Soren’s seat-sharing announcement has not gone well with the RJD demanding more seats. RJD MP Manoj Jha alleged that Soren’s decision was unilateral. He said that the RJD has a strong presence in around 20 assembly constituencies and less than 12-13 seats are unacceptable to the party. In a rebellion threat, Rajya Sabha MP Jha said that the RJD can go solo if its demands are not met but maintained that it will back the candidates of the Opposition alliance in 60-62 constituencies so to defeat the BJP. Thus, the RJD has made it clear that it will contest around 18-19 seats if forced to go solo in the assembly elections.
On the other hand, the Congress party is pushing the JMM to give more seats to the RJD from their quota. According to an Indian Express report, the JMM was allocated 50 seats and was responsible for accommodating the Left parties from its share. The Congress was set to receive 31 seats, with the RJD expected to get its portion from the Congress’s allotment as per the earlier agreed formula.
The majority mark is 42 in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly and Congress as well as the RJD are playing a mind game to ensure that the JMM doesn’t get the majority mark on its own. This will enable the Congress and the RJD to maintain their bargaining power after the election results are announced. Now, with both – Congress and JMM arm-twisting each other to accommodate the RJD from their respective quotas, the pressure is on Hemant Soren to accommodate allies to avert the BJP challenge.
