Munda to be ruling alliance joint nominee for by-poll: Soren
By IANSTuesday, January 18, 2011
RANCHI - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief and Jharkhand’s ruling alliance steering committee chairperson Shibu Soren Tuesday said that Chief Minister Arjun Munda would be the joint nominee of the alliance in the assembly by-poll scheduled Feb 10.
“Arjun Munda will be joint candidate of the ruling alliance in Kharsawa assembly by-poll,” Shibu Soren said at a joint press conference with Arjun Munda here. Sudesh Mahto, deputy chief minister and president of All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), was also present.
Soren’s announcement comes a day after Arjun Munda met him and sought his help in the by-poll.
Soren had stunned the BJP Jan 13 when he said his JMM would field a candidate for the Kharsawa assembly poll. The notification of the by-poll was issued Jan 13. The nominations began Monday. Munda will file his nomination paper Wednesday.
BJP legislator Mangal Singh Soy vacated the Kharsawa assembly seat in November to facilitate Munda to get elected to the state asembly. He is a Lok sabha member.
Munda became the chief minister in September last year and in a statutory obligation has to get elected to the state assembly within six months of being sworn-in.
Munda had won the Kharsawa seat in 1995 on a JMM ticket. He joined the BJP just before the 2000 assembly polls. He again won the seat in 2000 and 2005 on the BJP ticket. In 2009 assembly elections, BJP’s Mangal Singh Soy won the seat.
The JMM is keen that the BJP should support its candidate for the Lok Sabha bypoll from the state in lieu of its backing to Munda at Kharsawa.
