JMM, Cong see ray of hope in RS victory

NEW DELHI: Emboldened by their victory in the by-elections to the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, the JMM-Congress combine has renewed efforts to install a new government after reviving the state assembly.

But the Congress��� central leadership is reluctant to bless their efforts, given the fact that the term of the present assembly comes to an end by February next.

While a final view on the subject is yet to be taken by the Congress managers, there is a view that the President���s rule in the state should be extended by another six months and elections held in the interregnum. The party leadership would like to use the timeline to consolidate their position in the state.

President���s rule in the state was imposed in the state in January this year following the then chief minister Shibu Soren���s defeat in the Tamar by-poll. Attempts to form an alternative government under a different JMM leader were torpedoed by the Congress leadership, which opted to place the assembly under a spell of suspended animation after imposing President���s rule in the state.

With the JMM-Congress wresting both the Rajya Sabha seats from the NDA in the by-elections held last week, fresh efforts have now been launched to form a new government in the state.

Leaders belonging to the JMM and the Congress��� state unit met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here on Tuesday. The JMM team was led by Hemant, Shibu Soren���s son who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha, while Jharkhand Congress chief Pradeep Balmuchu led the other group.

While the issue of the formation of a new government in Jharkhand did not come up for deliberations during this meeting, it did figure in their discussions with K Keshava Rao, CWC member in-charge of the state. Mr Rao is said to have refused to give a firm commitment on the exercise, advising the leaders belonging to the two parties to do more homework.

Though the top leadership of Congress and JMM are not in favour of forming an alternative government and are even talking of advancing the assembly elections, MLAs from the two parties as well as from RJD are keen on having a shot at government-formation. When contacted by ET, Mr Hemant Soren said they had met Ms Gandhi merely to congratulate her on UPA���s victory in the general election and the Rajya Sabha by-polls held subsequently.