Jharkhand BJP leaders are in Delhi amid speculation over tie-up with JMM

Speculation has started doing rounds about the possibility of Jharkhand going the Maharashtra way after recent bonhomie between the BJP and the JMM.

BJP leaders from Jharkhand are camped in the national capital amid recent political developments including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha extending support to NDA presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu in the July 18 Presidential polls.

Earlier this week, Soren shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Deoghar airport in the state.

During the inauguration function of Deoghar airport, Modi did not say anything against the JMM-led Jharkhand government and the Chief Minister Soren too had only words of praise for the Prime Minister.

Chief Minister Soren had said that if they get support from the Centre, Jharkhand will be a developed state within the next five years.

The recent bonhomie between the two parties has fueled speculation that the JMM is getting close to BJP.


"Amid tensions in the ruling alliance, the political circle started buzzing with rumours after last month's meeting of the Chief Minister and Shah in the national capital. The speculation gets stronger with recent developments, but in politics everything is possible and nothing can be ruled out. We can not rule out the possibility of a JMM-BJP government in the state in future," a senior BJP functionary said.

Rajya Sabha member and Jharkhand BJP President Deepak Prakash, however, told IANS that this all are speculations. "Some senior leaders are in the national capital to attend a workshop organised by the party for Presidential polls. I am here to attend the upcoming session of Parliament. These all are speculations," he said.

The rift in ruling alliance came out in open during recent biennial polls of Rajya Sabha, when the JMM has fielded its own candidate, rejecting the Congress' demand for for a seat in the Upper House. Sources said even before this disagreement, the Congress was not comfortable with Soren's government.

In the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, the JMM has 30 MLAs, Congress 16, and the BJP has 25. - IANS