Will lead opposition alliance in 2024 LS polls, says JMM

Ranchi: At a time when rigorous pan-India efforts are on to stitch an all-opposition alliance against BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, cracks have appeared between the alliance partners in the state. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday announced that it would lead the opposition alliance here in the next year’s Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

JMM’s announcement is likely to put Congress, its principal ally in the state, in a tricky patch as the latter plans to assume the leadership role in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and field candidates from the most number of seats.

“Congress is our elder brother in the alliance when it comes to Lok Sabha polls. But we have more organisational strength on the ground,” Supriyo Bhattacharya, the JMM spokesperson and party’s central committee member, said.

With less than a year to go for the elections, Congress has started preparations to contest in at least nine out of the 14 parliamentary constituencies across the state. The AICC leadership has also tasked the state unit to prepare constituency-wise reports and assess the party’s strengths and weaknesses. “Preparations aside, the final call (on the number of seats) will be taken by the Congress leadership. As of now, their national leadership has not made any statement on it,” he added.

JMM’s announcement was shot down by the Jharkhand Congress camp. “It is absolutely clear that Congress will take up the role of elder brother in the Lok Sabha polls while JMM will lead the opposition alliance in the assembly polls,” Congress spokesperson Rakesh Kumar Sinha told TOI.

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Thakur is due to meet the AICC leadership in New Delhi later this week.

In 2019, Congress contested in seven out of the 14 seats but won just one. JMM contested in four seats and won one. Other allies — RJD and Babulal Marandi’s now defunct JVM-P — contested on three seats together and lost to BJP in each one of them.

JMM on Wednesday took potshots at BJP leader and ex-Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindhia as she held public meetings in Deoghar and Dumka. JMM said BJP’s efforts to breach Santhal Pargana in the Lok Sabha election would fail.


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