‘State cannot be run and governed from Delhi’

RANCHI: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren says stopping the BJP in the upcoming election after parting ways with the Congress last month will be one of the greatest battles of his young political career. The 39-year-old son of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren told Gautam Mazumdar his party will prove equal to the challenge, fighting the election on the development plank. Why should people vote for the JMM? You ruled for 14 months but no significant change is visible on the ground. Fourteen months wasn’t enough time to prove our mettle. I do not claim big achievements, but people should vote for us looking at the initiatives we have taken in such short time. The women and the youth are particularly inclined towards our party. You know we have done a lot (50% reservation in some jobs, free higher education) for women in Jharkhand. How is your party different? Cadres often say it is a father-son party and the duo run the show as they please. I will be more than happy to give my chair to any eligi- ble leader of my party. In fact, I often ask my men if any of them wants my chair (laughs). Is there any possibility of cobbling up a post-poll alliance with the partners you have dropped? There is no chance. We have prepared to contest all 81 seats and are confident of winning a majority. Who is your principal opponent this time? The obvious answer is the BJP, but technically speaking, all parties contesting the election are opponents as we are going alone in the polls. Is there a Modi wave or a visible advantage for the BJP before the election? There is no wave in Jharkhand. The BJP would not have entered into a pre-poll alliance with AJSU otherwise. The state cannot be run and governed from Delhi. In fact they (the BJP) are worried of our strength. Why did the alliance with the Congress and the RJD end? They (the Congress) wanted four of our sitting seats. They are to be blamed for the breakup as they wanted more than they deserved.