Jharkhand: Babulal Marandi Joins BJP, Likely To Be Elected As The Legislative Party Leader

The JVM-P has three MLAs, but two of them--Bandhu Tirkey and Pradip Yadav- have rebelled and Marandi had decided to expel them from the party.

Babulal Marandi. (PIC/Facbook account)

Ranchi (Jharkhand): The Bharatiya Janata Party received a significant leg-up in Jharkhand with Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and president of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), merging his party with the saffron party on Monday. The event at Jagannathpur Maidan was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda. The BJP has made all out efforts to make the merger and Marandi's re-joining a grand event. The first BJP Chief Minister of Jharkhand was being wooed as part of the attempt to revive the party's presence in the state among tribals, which of late seems to be turning away from it. Marandi had on February 11 announced JVM-P's merger with the BJP, 14 years after he had quit the saffron party and floated his outfit.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Ranchi: I have been trying to bring Babulal Marandi into BJP since I was made BJP chief in 2014. Someone rightly said that he is quite stubborn. We couldn't persuade him easily. He has now joined BJP as per the wish of the people of Jharkhand. pic.twitter.com/gzC6mENukl

— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2020

The JVM-P has three MLAs, but two of them--Bandhu Tirkey and Pradip Yadav- have rebelled and Marandi had decided to expel them from the party. Marandi will be the lone legislator of the party after doors were shown to the two others. Reports say Marandi is likely to be elected as the Legislative party leader of the BJP, a post that is lying vacant. The 81 assembly constituencies of Jharkhand went to polls on in five phases. BJP has 25 legislators presently in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. It was unseated by the opposition alliance of JMM- Congress-RJD in the state polls in December last year. Marandi won the assembly elections from Dhanwar constituency. (With additional information from Agencies)