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With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) firm on holding fresh elections in Jharkhand, the Congress has started looking for “all options” in the State for a possible patch-up with erstwhile ally, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Officially, the Congress said it would wait for the Governor, Syed Ahmed’s decision. The party said the Arjun Munda Government had already become a minority and its recommendation for fresh election was not valid. “The recommendation of a minority Government is not binding,” Congress spokesperson, P.C Chacko, said. “Our party will formulate a strategy after the Governor takes a decision,” he added.
However, the party top brass has already summoned the Jharkhand leadership for talks on the issue. The Congress believes that it can form a Government with the support of JMM, Rashtriya Janata Dal and its former ally, Jharkhand Vikas Party. “The situation is very tempting,” a senior Congress leader said, adding that the party did not want to push the State to an election as the term of the Assembly ends only in January 2015.
JPCC President, Pradip Balmuchu, who was in Delhi, held discussions with Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, and is learnt to have conveyed the suggestion of party MLAs that formation of a new Government will not be bad for the party.
The Congress, sources said, was not keen on supporting any other party from outside. It also does not want President’s Rule till 2013 in the resource-rich State. “We will wait and watch. The high command will take the best possible decision,” a leader said.
The BJP, however, supported the Munda Cabinet’s decision to recommend fresh elections. “An early election is the only solution in Jharkhand,” party spokesperson, Prakash Javadekar, said, and added that the party central leadership supported Munda’s decision to seek fresh polls.
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