RANCHI, AUG 17: The BJP top brass is meeting here to discuss party affairs over the recently carved out state of Jharkhand. Billed as the Prashikshan Shivir (training camp), the two-day meet beginning Friday, is slated to be attended among others by the BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, general secretary K.N. Govindacharya and vice president Kailashpati Mishra. The meet is expected to formulate a strategy for constituting the party at the state-level and to form a government in Jharkhand before November 1.With a total strength of 81 MLAs in the proposed Jharkhand Assembly, fourNational Democratic Alliance partners - the BJP, Samata, JD-U and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha - command an absolute majority with 51 MLAs. In addition, two MLAs of the United Goan Democratic Party - Sudesh Mahato and Joba Manjhi - are learnt to be their supporters.However, though these 53 MLAs are unanimous that the first Chief Minister of the new Jharkhand state be an Adivasi, there is an apparent divide over the choice of the incumbent.Within the BJP there are three Adivasi MPs - Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment Babu Lal Marandi, Dukha Bhagat and Karia Munda - who are vying with each other for the coveted post as none in the party circle considers any of its 15 Adivasi MLAs `fit' for the job. The JD-U does not have any Adivasi MLA from Jharkhand. The Samata has Ramesh Singh Munda, who too aspires to be the CM.Another aspirant is JMM chief Shibu Soren, an accused in two cases - the Rs 3.5 crore bribery case and the Shashi Nath Jha abduction and murder case. The Samata leaders who had reportedly promised the chief ministership to Soren in lieu of his party's support to the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar in March are the Soren's `hope'.``They are my hope. Being in the NDA I have left the matter to be resolved by Nitish Kumar and George Fernandes,'' said Soren, whose candidature is being opposed by BJP's Marandi, Bhagat and Munda. ``The CM of Jharkhand should have `clean' credentials,'' observed Munda in reply to a querry in his press conference here recently.Almost an identical view is held by the UGDP MLAs - Manjhi and Mahato - who represent the All Jharkhand Students' Union, a bitter rival of the JMM. ``Apart from facing the criminal charges in the court, Soren lacks administrative competence. As the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council chairman he did nothing except effecting transfers and postings of BDOs,'' alleged Mahato.But then, if Soren is not made the CM, it is likely that he may quit the NDA to join hands with the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, who has already offered him the coveted post.A split in the JMM legislature party in favour of the NDA is a remote possibility. Moreover, the NDA with the JMM as its constituent suitsthe electoral interests of the BJP, Samata and the JD-U. Admits BJP Jharkhand unit spokesperson U.S. Kedia, ``With the JMM's support base wewill virtually become invincible in almost every constituency of Jharkhand.''Against this complex scenario Thakre, Govindacharya and Mishra are expected to `read' the minds of their party MLAs and MLCs from Jharkhand who are the selected invitees to the forthcoming meeting and narrow down the differences among them on the vexed issues within the party and formation of the first government in Jharkhand.
