States Polls and Result

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Jharkhand’s sole winner Soren

Pioneer News Service | New Delhi/Ranchi



Voters of Jharkhand threw a fractured verdict again. While central leaders of the Congress and BJP were desperately trying to stitch up a “stable” alliance with different permutations and combinations, it is JMM chief Shibu Soren who is holding all the cards.



Soren’s insistence on the top job is making the Congress see red. The party, which has fallen far short of its own expected tally of 25, is not so eager on backing a Soren-led regime. Senior Congress leaders feel that the JMM comes with a “baggage” of controversies and supporting it would make the Congress subject to politics of “blackmail”.



Sources indicated that the Congress fears that the JMM will straightaway ask a Cabinet berth at the Centre once the Congress joined hands with it to form a Government in Jharkhand.



However, the Congress has few options, because Guruji will be more than ready to form a Government with the support of the BJP, which, sources said, is not averse to exploring such a possibility.



The Congress with its 14 seats and Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha’s 11 seats would be able to notch up a maximum 25 seats leaving it short of a good 16 MLAs to reach the halfway mark of 41 in the 81-member House. There is a theoretical chance of its capturing power with the help of the RJD (5), 11 smaller parties and two Independents, but such a coalition is bound to be unstable from day one.



Leaving out the JMM would also be a difficult task as it could also mean seeking support of even “tainted” Independents like Hari Narayan Rai, Anos Ekka and former Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta. There is a growing feeling in the Congress that if a JMM-led Government becomes inevitable, the party should support it from outside.