Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren and Congress president Sonia Gandhi together addressed a rally for the first time on Friday.

At the rally at Moubhandar near Ghatsila town, Gandhi urged the Jharkhand electorate to end the National Democratic Alliance's "misrule".

She promised them more jobs and development if the Congress-led alliance came to power. "Starvation deaths, unemployment, corruption and loot has increased during the NDA's rule. The NDA is worried only about its chair," she said.

The United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre always worked for the welfare of the adivasi community, she said. "Indiraji and Rajivji had a special soft corner for the adivasis and were always prepared to do something good for them."

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Soren appealed to the people to ignore issues like the controversy over seat sharing. "Soniaji has sacrificed the prime minister's chair and formed the UPA to defeat the communal forces," he said.

The joint rally came a day after Soren claimed at an election meeting in Dhanbad that the Congress chief had assured her support for him to be chief minister.