NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

BJP's Marandi is frontrunner for Jharkhand CM

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Babulal Marandi of the Bharatiya Janata Party is emerging as frontrunner for the post of first chief minister of the new state of Jharkhand.

Marandi has edged past two other strong contenders, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren and party colleague Karia Munda.

"Though the picture has not yet crystallised, Babulal Marandi is ahead in the race. This is because he has better sway in Jharkhand politics than Karia Mundaji. This is not my personal opinion, it is the overwhelming feeling in the party," said a BJP vice-president on condition of anonymity.

The BJP politician said the Jharkhand chief minister would "have to be from the BJP. Claims from the JMM will be settled in an amicable way." According to him, the BJP had the lion's share of legislators in the new state, which had been made clear to Soren.

He contended that to "assuage" the JMM chief, the BJP was planning to make his legislator son Durga Soren the deputy chief minister. While Soren Sr has not yet reacted to this offer, BJP sources said he would have to "acquiesce".

The JMM with 12 legislators has been pushing Soren's candidature for Jharkhand's chief ministership. Soren has sought the support of Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and Sonia Gandhi's Congress in a bid to press his claim. But the dogged insistence of the 32 BJP MLAs that the chief minister has to be from among them has deflated Soren quite a bit.

Significantly, Yadav had arrived in New Delhi a couple of days ago in an apparent bid to push Soren's case with the Congress chief. Since both the RJD and the Congress are opposed to the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP, it suits them to put a spoke in the BJP's wheel on the issue.

"Shibu Soren is a legitimate claimant for Jharkhand chief ministership and I think he must be helped out," Yadav told reporters at Bihar Niwas. "He is the most deserving candidate, certainly more than anybody in the BJP."

BJP sources emphasised that Laloo Yadav had discussed with Sonia Gandhi the possibility of RJD and Congress legislators in Bihar switching loyalties to the saffron party if Marandi eventually became Jharkhand chief minister. Yadav, however, denied that RJD legislators were in touch with the BJP high command for any horse-trading.

While Gandhi is believed to have told Yadav that her party is watching the developments in the new state, Congress sources pointed out that she would go along with the RJD in Soren's favour as the BJP is their "arch-enemy".

Significantly, some NDA partners, including the Samata Party and Janata Dal United, were 'canvassing' for Soren, but Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani recently indicated that his party was a strong contender for chief ministership.

ALSO SEE
Jharkhand: BJP to insist on chief minister's post

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report