Gadkari summons Munda to Delhi to discuss by-poll debacle

RANCHI: Stung by the party's defeat in by- election to Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat, BJP President Nitin Gadkari has summoned Chief Minister Arjun Munda to New Delhi today to discuss the poll debacle.

Munda accompanied by Jharkhand BJP chief Dineshanand Goswami, also the party candidate for the by-poll, will meet Gadkari in Delhi today, a senior party leader said here.

The leaders are expected to brief Gadkari about the circumstances that led to the party's defeat.

Goswami lost to Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric-JVM-P) candidate Ajay Kumar by a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes. The result was announced on Monday.

Goswami owned moral responsibility for the defeat and resigned as state party chief. He sent his resignation letter to Gadkari.

The JVM-P was floated by former chief minister Babulal Marandi after he quit the BJP over four years ago.

Before the by-poll, the state BJP had entrusted Munda to convince ruling coalition partners, JMM and AJSU, to support the BJP candidate. But, his efforts failed and all the three ruling alliance partners contested separately.