‘In Jammu, we made mistakes… In Haryana… there was factionalism… Now, everyone is on board on seats, names’: Congress Jharkhand in-charge

We have said that the Congress and JMM have reached an agreement on 70 seats, 41 to the JMM and 29 to the Congress. Of the remaining 11 seats, the RJD will contest five-six and the CPI(ML) three-four. One seat each from the 11 will be added to the JMM and Congress now… So the Congress will contest in 30 seats and the JMM in 42.

* The Congress had contested 31 seats last time. So you are contesting one seat less this time.

The JMM will also contest one seat less. Because the alliance partners last time were the JMM, Congress and RJD. The CPI(ML) has joined our alliance… The JMM, Congress and RJD will all contest one seat less.

* But the RJD is believed to be unhappy.

Happy toh koi nahin hota hai seat-sharing mein (Seat-sharing leaves no one happy). But ultimately, if we have to fight a contest together… everybody has to make sacrifices and suffer some losses… We have to look at the larger picture and the larger goal, which is to defeat the BJP.

* The RJD is demanding 12-13 seats, and is saying it may contest alone. So there could be friendly fights?

That will not be good for the alliance. Chief Minister Hemant Soren is talking to them. There is no question of ego here… The RJD contested seven seats last time… they should also forgo one seat. Their winning percentage last time was 16%; of the seven seats, they won only one. The JMM had a winning ratio of 74% while the Congress strike rate was 55%. Their (RJD) winning rate was less and if they take more seats and win less, it means we are giving them on a platter to the other side. Is liye kam seats le kar, uspar zyada taakat laga lein aur behtar results laayen (That is why, take fewer seats and put in your best for better results)… I am sure they (the RJD) will understand… They are wise enough to know that friendly fights and all are never beneficial. That will benefit only the BJP.

* Is it a given that all your sitting MLAs will be repeated?

A majority of the MLAs are good people. There may be anti-incumbency against MLAs but that is the case with all MLAs. Woh Chief Minister ko bhi hogi (the CM faces the same). It is the same against MLAs from the other side too… So I cannot say all the sitting MLAs will be renominated. In some seats, we have put forth two or three names… Ultimately the CEC will take the final view factoring in survey reports, inputs received by the leadership etc.

* Will the alliance come out with a common manifesto or common agenda?

I have made his suggestion… (on) some important guarantees, some important promises, some issues… on which there is a consensus. But we are yet to discuss that… Once seat-sharing is done, we can get it done. In my view, there should be a common agenda for the alliance for campaigning.

* The JMM-Congress alliance is also battling anti-incumbency. How are you countering that?

In Jharkhand, there is pro-incumbency. Of the five years, Covid disrupted two years but still Jharkhand worked. The government provided help to its labourers wherever they were. Help was also given to people from outside the state who were living in Jharkhand. There were attempts to create political instability, attempts were made to break the government. This coalition completed its term… All the promises made in our manifestos were implemented. And we did more, Maiya Yojana for instance, debt waiver is another scheme….

* But the fact remains that no less than former chief minister Champai Soren left the JMM and joined the BJP.

That can be because of a personal reason. I am told he is not happy there. When the BJP realised that the incarceration of Hemant Soren was not helping it, the ED and CBI cases too were neither helping it nor making a political impact, they thought of inducting Champai Soren along with leaders and workers. In that, they failed.

* What are the issues which the Congress and the alliance would highlight?

Unemployment is a pan-Indian problem created by the BJP and Jharkhand is also facing the brunt. The Sarna (religion) code is another issue. The JMM-Congress government had passed a resolution in the Assembly calling for a separate Sarna dharma code for tribals, but the Centre is sitting on the resolution.

* What lessons has the Congress learnt from the Haryana and J&K poll results?

In Jammu, we committed some mistakes – internal, organisational. In Haryana also, there were issues. We are cautious and alert now. There was factionalism there… Here, everyone is on board while discussing seats and candidates. Of the 30 that we are contesting, 18 are our sitting seats, we lost about half-a-dozen by small margins, and in half-a-dozen seats, we need to work hard… We are doing all that, we have put in place a mechanism, assigned senior observers to almost every seat.