Administrator
30 October 2024
BJP keeps ‘ CM face’ in dark in Jharkhand as party prepares to welcome PM Modi in Chaibasa on November 4
BJP leader and ex CM Babulal Marandi may not smile over the statement of Assam Chief Minister and BJP co-in-charge for Jharkhand assembly polls, Himanta Biswa Sarma who today said that the party( BJP) has not decided the CM face for the National Democratic Alliance in Jharkhand.
Himanta Biswa Sarma who was in Chaibasa on Wednesday to monitor party men welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chaibasa on November 4. His statement can be welcomed by other CM aspirants such as Champai Soren.
“Prime Minister Modi will come to Chaibasa on November 4…Our team (party) is in a very strong position… We will fight (the elections) well and this time we will try to win all the seats in Chaibasa..,” he told reporters in Chaibasa, Jharkhand.
Chaibasa is the district headquarter town of West Singhbhum and Kolhan division comprising 14 assembly seats.
None of these seats were won by the BJP in 2019 when the JMM had won 11 seats in Kolhan, the Congress two, while one went to an Independent.
This time, the BJP is aiming to gain ground there even though JMM has again given tickets to nine of its sitting MLAs from the region. In Majhgaon, it has fielded debutante Jagat Manjhi who is MP Jobha Manjhi’s son.
BJP rebel Ganesh Mahli who joined the JMM before the coming Assembly polls will contest from Saraikela, taking on Champai Soren. Above all,senior JMM leader Champai Soren had quit and joined the BJP and is contesting his Saraikela assembly seat on the lotus symbol of the BJP.
Also, former Union Minister and Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda has made a debut in politics and contesting the poll from Kolhan’s Potka. In Jamshedpur East, Purnima Das Sahu who is the daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor and former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das will face off against Ajoy Kumar.
As incumbent CM, Das had lost the seat in 2019, making this a prestige battle for his daughter-in-law. In Kolhan’s another seat,Ghatshila, Champai Soren’s son Babulal who is contesting on a BJP ticket will take on incumbent JMM MLA Ramdas Soren.
On the CM face for Jharkhand, Assam CM Sarma said they have not decided on the CM face from NDA. “We have not decided on the CM face from NDA…Our goal will be to choose a good CM (for the state)..,” he said.
The nomination exercise for the second phase of the Jharkhand assembly polls had ended on Tuesday with a total of 634 candidates filing their papers. Voting for 81 seats of Jharkhand Assembly will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20.
Counting will take place on November 23. Against this backdrop, the PM Modi’s visit to Chaibasa has gained significance. By not making the CM face public, the BJP is keeping its option open though this is not going to cheers former CM Babulal Marandi who aspired to be the CM face.
