By Manish Anand
New Delhi, January 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to have set its eyes in staging a comeback in the power corridors of Jharkhand. The saffron outfit appears to be fancying an opportunity for the change of government in Jharkhand on the lines of Bihar.
After staging a comeback to power in Bihar, the BJP leaders argue that there could be similar ripple effects in the political parties in Jharkhand. The BJP leaders also argue that the arrest of the incumbent chief minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren is imminent.
Soren, incidentally, is reported to have arrived in the national capital in a chartered flight. The Enforcement Directorate sleuths have reached his residences in Delhi and Ranchi. During his questioning in Ranchi by the ED recently, Soren had brought his supporters to his residence in a show of strength. It appears that he arrived in the national capital on instructions so that there is no nuisance if the ED arrests him.
The strengths of the political parties in Jharkhand make for the possibility of a change of government. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had won a total of 30 Assembly seats in the 2019 state poll. The BJP had come second by winning 25 seats. Subsequently, Babu Lal Marandi had joined the BJP, adding three more to the strength of the saffron outfit. The Congress had won a total of 10 seats. The BJP leaders in the state are eyeing the Congress flock in the event Soren is arrested by the ED and he installs his wife Kalpana Soren as the chief minister of Jharkhand. It may be recalled that Jharkhand Assembly elections would be held six months after the Lok Sabha poll this year. Maharashtra and Haryana will also go to the Assembly elections later this year.
The BJP will be hoping that a change in government in Jharkhand may further lower the morale of the Congress-led Opposition unity plank ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP will also drum up its anti-corruption plank on election trails.
It may be noted that Jharkhand among the newly carved states has been the most politically unstable with frequent change of the governments. Even an Independent MLA Madhu Koda had become the chief minister of the state. Also, the state has seen a wave of corruption charges against the leading political actors.
Last month, the ED had raided the house of former Jharkhand MLA Rajkishore Prasad alias Pappu Yadav in Deoghar. The ED is also probing the money laundering case in the illegal mining allegations in Jharkhand. The ED had also raided the residences of the state government officials in Sahebganj and Hazaribagh. The ED is tracking for evidences in the money laundering cases. It may be recalled that the ED had served several summons to the state chief minister in the ‘Office for Profit’ and money laundering cases.
Soren is facing the charge that he had renewed the mining license for himself while holding the charge of the mining ministry. This is seen as a serious charge as it involves conflict of interest. The JMM is dependent on a number of allies for majority in the Assembly which has a strength of 81.
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