Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 30
Jharkhand may be a small Assembly with 81 seats but results emerging from there on December 23 could serve as an important indicator about public sentiments regarding the BJP, especially after recent political developments in Maharashtra and its below par performance in Haryana.
The process of electing the new government in the BJP-ruled state started today.
Incumbent Chief Minister Raghubar Das is seeking a second term in the state marked with political instability most of its young life.
These are the fourth Assembly elections in the state carved out in 2000, and 2014 was the first time when the BJP and ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) managed to get a simple majority, providing the state its first stable government.
Which is one reason the BJP’s decision to walk alone this time in the state is surprising.
By doing so it is giving a direct contest to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) plus alliance while NDA allies — the All Jharkhand Students Union, the LJP and the JD(U) — are all contesting separately. Speculations are rife about “some unexpected results”.
Observers say some controversial decisions by CM Das like proposed changes in tenancy laws may not have affected the Lok Sabha results which the BJP swept easily in the state on the might of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but Assemblies are fought on local issues and all this may affect the ruling party’s prospects. Plus, bolstered by Maharashtra and Haryana elections, the Congress, which is playing younger brother to the JMM, is on a stronger wicket.
The BJP is also under flak for fielding controversial candidates in Bhavnathpur and Panki. In Bhavnathpur, the party has fielded Bhanu Pratap Sahi, an accused in Rs-130 crore medicine fraud, while its Panki candidate Shashi Bhushan Mehta is accused in a murder case.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/33zyhej
via Today’s News Headlines
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