JMM to stay in alliance, to lead partners in state polls
RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in its two-day central committee meeting, concluded on Sunday, cleared its intention that the party wanted to continue in Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and fight the upcoming state assembly polls on the line of recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
JMM working president Hemant Soren said the central leadership of the party had been assigned to work on its framework and talk to the ally partners by last week of this month.
“During Lok Sabha polls, it was decided that Congress would lead the alliance, while JMM will do the same in state assembly polls. So, every member of the party wants JMM should lead the Mahagathbandhan in upcoming polls,” Soren said. The party also wants to include Left parties in the fold, he said.
A grand alliance of four parties-Congress, JMM, JVM-P and RJD-had contested against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand.
The alliance, however, faced a major defeat winning only two seats, Rajmahal and Singhbhum. The BJP won 11 out of 13 it contested and its ally AJSU won one seat.
On June 15, Congress leadership had sought opinion from its district units by June last if they want to stay in Mahagathban- dhan or not in wake of Lok Sabha polls defeat.
Soren, however, held EVM responsible for the defeat in the parliamentary elections. “The Lok Sabha results are under doubt, as there is a question mark on EVMs’ reliability. An RTI reveals that over 20 lakh EVMs went missing after the polls,” he said.
The party demanded to conduct upcoming assembly polls in ballot papers instead of EVMs. “We will also go to election commission and request to hold the Jharkhand and other polls in the country in EVMs,” Soren said.
Speaking about the polls strategies decided during central committee meeting, Soren said door-to-door campaign would be conducted at every panchayat thrice a week.
“The place where there is no party organisation, the members have been asked to establish it at the earliest.”
He said public concerning issues such hunger deaths, medicine crisis in hospitals, unemployment, power and drinking water problems would be raised at booth level campaign.
“We would tell people how BJP government have looted their votes by selling false dreams,” Soren said.