BJP to head new coalition government in Jharkand
PTI
NEW DELHI/RANCHI, MAY 8
The BJP will head a new coalition government in Jharkand with ruling alliance partners JMM and AJSU announcing their support today ending the crisis but questions remained over rotating chief ministership.
BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar while announcing the decision taken at a meeting with the partners in New Delhi said the BJP will head the government for the remaining four-and-a-half year term of the state Assembly. BJP Parliamentary Board will meet on Monday to decide its Chief Ministerial candidate, he said.
But within hours after Kumar made the announcement that brought to an end the 11-day stalemate, Chief Minister Shibu Soren replied in the affirmative when asked whether the formula involved the post of chief ministership being rotated between the BJP and the JMM.
“Yes,” Soren told reporters at the Ranchi airport on his arrival from Delhi in response to a question in this regard. The JMM had earlier too made a proposal for rotating chief ministership but it was shot down by BJP.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharam when asked to comment on the JMM supremo’s latest position said the party was not aware of this but made it clear the understanding arrived at the meeting was that only the saffron party would be heading the new coalition government. BJP sources indicated there could be rethink to form a government if JMM insisted on rotating chief ministership.
The crisis in the mineral-rich state was triggered after an angry BJP decided to withdraw support to the JMM on April 28, a day after Shibu Soren, also an MP, voted against the BJP-sponsored cut-motions in the Lok Sabha. The decision was however kept on hold.
Former union minister Yashwant Sinha, ex-chief minister and General Secretary Arjun Munda, Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das and Transport Minister Neelkant Singh Munda are being mentioned as probable candidates to be the eighth chief minister of the mineral-rich state in nine-and-a-half years.
“We had fruitful discussions with senior BJP leaders. We will support a government in Jharkhand under BJP leadership. The decision has been taken to save the state from President’s Rule,” Shibu’s son Hemant Soren said after the meeting.
Anant Kumar said, “A BJP-led NDA government will be formed in Jharkhand. We want to save the state from Congress misrule. A stable government which stands for development will be formed,” he said. Kumar insisted that the talks ended on a happy note. This will be the third BJP-led government in Jharkhand.
