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Amid reports of a disagreement in the NDA in Jharkhand, Assam CM and BJP’s Jharkhand in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday announced the seat-sharing deal for next month’s Assembly elections. Sarma said there was “consensus” with ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) Party although a few seats “remain fluid” based on candidates’ winnability factor.
Sarma said the AJSU would contest 10 of the state’s 81 Assembly seats, while two would go to the JD(U) and one to the Chirag Paswan-led LJP. The BJP will contest the rest of the seats and the party’s first list of candidates will be out within the next two days, Sarma said.
The joint press conference held by the AJSU and the BJP at the latter’s state headquarters was scheduled to begin at 11.30 am but was delayed by more than an hour. Saying that there was no disagreement with its ally, Sarma said, “The AJSU will fight from 10 seats: Silli, Ramgarh, Gomia, Ichagarh, Mandu, Jugsalai, Pakur, Lohardaga, Manoharpur, Dumri. Jamshedpur West and Tamar will go to the JD(U), and Chatra will go to the LJP. The remaining seats the BJP will contest.”
Sources said the AJSU remained unhappy over not being given Barkagaon. “There was a disagreement over the Barkagaon seat, which led to the delayed press conference. The AJSU is on tenterhooks because its leader from Chandankyari, Uma Kant Rajak, has resigned early Friday given that BJP’s Amar Bauri, also the LoP, will be contesting from the seat.” Later in the day, Rajak and three-term BJP MLA Kedar Hazra joined JMM.
AJSU chief Sudesh Mahato said both parties were working under the NDA banner and winning the election was the aim.
Asked if there was disagreement over certain seats, Sarma said: “When we see the list, then it is possible that BJP’s seat goes to AJSUP or AJSUP’s seat comes to BJP…We don’t close the doors until the last minute of nomination, it is not that there is a fight or disagreement…We are here to win the elections.”
