The BJP president gave the go ahead to the alliance with JMM despite Advani's reluctance
The BJP president gave the go ahead to the alliance with JMM despite Advani's reluctance
The BJP president Nitin Gadkari finally had his way in the formation of Jharkhand government. Ever since the
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| Show of hands: File pic of BJP president Nitin Gadkari (right) with JMM chief Shibu Soren (centre). pic/mid day |
Jharkhand fiasco the BJP has been divided in two camps -- one facilitating the formation of government in alliance with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the other opposing any such move.
The opponents are pretty high in the party hierarchy with veteran LK Advani leading the charge and leaders in both houses of parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley following the demand.
But BJP chief Nitin Gadkari had always backed the demand to form the government in the state and not severing the ties with Shibu Soren's JMM.
Party sources pointed out that Advani felt that Yashwant Sinha as the chief minister would have been a better choice and strengthened the party unit and the state both.
However, Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Arjun Munda wanted to initiate the process of revoking President's rule to form the government.
Gadkari, who is in Moscow, called Raghuvar Das, BJP Legislature Party in Jharkhand, on Monday night and asked him to convene a meeting of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday. "I called the legislature party meeting on his direction. I quit from my post and Arjun Munda was chosen in my place as the leader of the legislature party," Das told MiD DAY over telephone from Ranchi.
BJP decided to stake claim along with allies JMM and AJSU to form the new government. Former Chief Minister Arjun Munda was elected the leader of BJP Legislature Party in Jharkhand. Hours after Munda staked claim to form a new government, Jharkhand Governor MOH Farook sent a report to the Centre recommending revocation of President's rule in the state.
The report was sent after Munda submitted a list of 45 MLAs in support and paraded 44 of them at the Ranchi Raj Bhavan.
In the event of Munda being invited to form the government, it will be the eighth government after Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar on November 15, 2000, and would be Munda's third term. Babulal Marandi was the first chief minister before Munda took over from him. In between Madhu Koda held the post once and Soren thrice.
President's Rule was imposed on June 1 with the assembly being put under suspended animation after recommendation by the governor on May 31.
He had given the recommendation after no party came forward to form a government following JMM president Shibu Soren resigning from the chief minister's post on May 30 following withdrawal of support by the BJP.
