Mahagathbandhan Strained In Jharkhand: Will JMM Leave Alliance After Bihar Polls?

The JMM says it all began after the largest MGB party in Bihar, the RJD, didn’t allot the JMM its due share of seats in the Bihar Assembly elections as part of the alliance. The same alliance is in power in Jharkhand, but with JMM as the largest party, and JMM leaders immediately began demanding a review of the alliance in their state after the Bihar elections.

Recently, when JMM’s central spokesperson Manoj Pandey was asked why the review was being delayed, he said that all such questions will be answered soon, adding that there won’t be any contest for the Ghatsila byelections. “We will win it this time by a bigger margin than before,” he said.

Pandey added, “Politics is a game of possibilities. The way we were treated in Bihar — with our senior leader claiming that we were betrayed and not considered worthy — has raised questions about the validity of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand. I can’t say what will happen next, but I can definitely say that there is a rift in the coalition.”

JMM Election Symbol (ETV Bharat)

He said, “We generously appointed an RJD MLA as a minister here. But this treatment (in Bihar) has hurt us. It’s difficult to say to what extent this (alliance) will continue.” Putting an end to any speculation about Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren joining the MGB as a star campaigner in Bihar, Pandey said the party hasn’t taken any such decision.