BJP cancels appointment with Jharkhand Governor

RANCHI: A delegation of BJP MLAs, which was to submit a letter withdrawing support to Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand on Thursday evening, cancelled its appointment with Governor M O H Farrooq, in an apparent rethink of the party's decision.

Raj Bhavan sources said a telephone call was received from BJP which said the 7:00pm appointment was cancelled.

The sources said BJP has been told to keep its appointment next time.

A meeting of BJP leaders was meanwhile continuing, party sources said.

The BJP delegation was first scheduled to meet the Governor at 11am but did not do so citing that a minister Baijnath Ram was in Delhi.

It had then sought an appointment at 7:00pm, according to state party spokesman Sanjay Seth.

Earlier in the day, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had said in New Delhi that party MLAs would meet the governor and convey the decision to take back support from the JMM-led government.

Meanwhile, Soren has written to senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Swaraj and party president Nitin Gadkari expressing regret that he had voted against the BJP-led NDA's cut motion in Parliament.

"I have been unwell for sometime and it was due to my ill-health that I voted against the cut-motion," Soren said.

Soren has pledged unstinted support to NDA and pleaded that BJP rethink its decision to withdraw support to his government.