Upset with JMM-Congress plan to leave just 11 seats for it and the Left, party seeks a respectable number of constituencies, saying it can play an important role in victory in at least 22 of them
Trouble may be brewing in the ruling coalition in Jharkhand, with Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha saying on Sunday that his party may choose to contest the Assembly election alone if it is not given a reasonable number of seats as part of the INDIA bloc. However, he made it clear that even if it decided to go solo, the RJD would not “let the boat sink”, or sabotage the bloc’s prospects of defeating the BJP in the election.
This comes a day after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that the JMM and the Congress would contest 70 seats, leaving the remaining 11 to be shared between the RJD and the Left parties. Hours later, the RJD expressed dissatisfaction over the “unilateral” seat-sharing arrangement.
On Sunday, Mr. Jha went a step further by declaring that the RJD may contest alone. “As the process of nomination has started, we cannot wait any longer and there is a possibility that by tomorrow [Monday] we will release the list of the candidates,” Mr. Jha told presspersons at the RJD office in Ranchi.
‘12-13 seats’
“Last time, we contested seven seats and this time, we should get a respectable number. We are strong in 20 to 22 seats; however, even if we are given 12 to 13 seats, we will accept. It should not be unreasonable. If we are asked to contest three or four seats, it’s like chopping off our own head and offering it to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The RJD may contest alone if a reasonable number of seats are not given,” he said.
He urged the alliance to look at the big picture.
“We will win if we stick together. If we contest a few seats, that we mentioned earlier, even then we will be a part of the alternative that is against the BJP. Our politics is clear, we will not let the boat sink, we will make an effort till the end. The Chief Minister will be Hemant Soren. Since he has to become the Chief Minister, a sensitive view should be adopted for a party with a comprehensive support base,” the RJD leader said.
The Rajya Sabha member said the RJD was willing to aid its INDIA bloc allies in 60 to 62 seats. However, he said that the party would field its own nominees in seats where RJD candidates had been runners-up in the 2014 and 2019 Assembly polls, and where its attractiveness has recently increased.
In the 2019 Assembly election, the JMM contested 43 seats and won 30; the Congress contested 31 and won 16; and the RJD contested seven but won only one.
However, Mr. Jha noted that the RJD had been the runner-up in five seats, a higher percentage than its alliance partners.
“It is not right to ignore the voters’ inclination in a democracy. The RJD is strong in at least 22 seats where we can play an important role in the victory of the [alliance],” he said.
He emphasised the RJD’s reputation as a party that fights against the BJP.
“Whether our leader Laluji is tortured in jail or tempted by power, we are not among those who bow down. Our fight against the BJP was, is, and will continue in future too,” he said.