Opposition to field common candidate against Munda in by-poll
By IANSFriday, January 21, 2011
RANCHI - Jharkhand\’s two major opposition parties, the Congress and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P), have decided to field a common candidate to give a tough fight to Chief Minister Arjun Munda in the Kharsawa assembly by-poll scheduled Feb 10.
Congress has decided to support JVM-P candidate Krishna Gagrai. Gagrai will file his nomination Saturday.
\”We thank the Congress party for supporting our nominee in the by-poll. Result of Kharsawa by-poll will create history in Jharkhand,\” JVM-P\’s Babulal Marandi told reporters here Friday.
Munda Wednesday filed his nomination paper for the Kharsawa assembly by-poll.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Mangal Singh Soy vacated the Kharsawa assembly seat in November to facilitate Munda\’s election to the state legislature.
Munda became chief minister in September last year and in compliance of statutory requirement he has to get elected to the state assembly within six months of being sworn-in the chief minister.
Munda had won the Kharsawa seat in 1995 on a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (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.
