Two more former BJP leaders, Louis Marandi, and Kunal Sarangi, joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday, just weeks before the state assembly elections. This move follows the recent defection of three-time BJP MLA Kedar Hazra and AJSU Party's Umakant Rajak to the JMM.
Sarangi, the former BJP spokesperson and ex-MLA from Bahragora told the news agency PTI, "We joined the JMM today."
Marandi, a former BJP legislator, had previously defeated Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Dumka in 2014 by a margin of 5,262 votes. However, Soren reclaimed the seat in 2019 with a margin of 13,188 votes but vacated it to retain the Barhait constituency.
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In the subsequent by-election, Soren’s brother, Basant Soren, defeated Marandi by over 6,842 votes in the party stronghold in Dumka.
Sarangi had resigned from the BJP in July, about a month and a half after stepping down as the party's spokesperson for the Jharkhand unit.
He submitted his resignation to BJP state president Babulal Marandi, citing organisational and public issues in East Singhbhum district. Sarangi also expressed frustration over the party leadership's "indifferent approach" despite his attempts to address important matters.
Congress-JMM Seat-Sharing Finalised
The Congress-led alliance in Jharkhand has reached a seat-sharing agreement with JMM, and RJD ahead of the Assembly Elections, scheduled to be held in two phases next month.
The seat-sharing formula finalisation took place after a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the Congress Party at the Congress Headquarters in Delhi.
As per the agreement, Congress is likely to contest 29 seats in Jharkhand, while Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will contest 41 seats, RJD 6 and Left 4. One more seat will be allotted to a minor party.
"The I.N.D.I.A bloc will contest the Jharkhand Assembly polls together. It has been decided during the seat-sharing talks with the allies that the Congress and the JMM will field candidates in 70 of the 81 seats," Soren had said after meeting with the alliance partners.
