PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec 3: More than two dozen leaders of the BJP Jharkhand, who had a good influence in their constituencies, have joined the JMM just before the panchayat election. This reshuffling has taken place in a span of just two months.
The BJP has come out openly in the field regarding Panchayat elections whereas the JMM has not yet taken any stand regarding the election. Even though the JMM has not issued any instruction regarding panchayat elections, it has, however, started working on a strategy to weaken the BJP in panchayats and municipalities.
Before the elections, the biggest setback for the BJP has been in the Giridih district where JMM has already snatched the Giridih assembly seat from the BJP. On November 18, in the presence of CM Hemant Soren, 13 leaders including three executive members of the BJP raised the flag of the JMM which includes councilors of nine wards.
Among those who joined the JMM are BJP District Working Committee members Ajay Kant Jha, Anil Gupta, Niranjan Prasad Rai, Pawan Kumar Rawani, Ward Councilors Poonam Devi, Maya Devi, Ashok Ram, Ajay Ram, Somar Marandi, Neelam Jha, Sumit Kumar, Raju Yadav and Sudama Devi.
Another big blow to the BJP was given by the JMM in the Palamu division. On November 26, former BJP MLA Anant Pratap Dev, who contested as an independent from Bhawnathpur in 2019, Garhwa Municipal Council President Pinky Kesari, Santosh Kesari, a representative of former MLA Satyendranath Tiwari, joined the JMM. BJP leader and member of Jharkhand Mati Kala Board, Avinash Dev has also joined the JMM along with his supporters. Apart from this, 36 people have also taken membership of the JMM in Ranka.
On October 24, Koderma Municipal President Ajay Pandey and Domchanch Rural President Ramdev Paswan resigned from their post and openly expressed their displeasure towards the district president Nitish Chandravanshi. These two leaders were strong pillars of BJP in their respective divisions, due to their departure, BJP may have to suffer.
In Kharsawan, BJP’s strong leader and party’s district president Vijay Mahto also left the BJP and joined the JMM on October 10. Vijay Mahto was active in BJP politics for the last decade. He was also close to Union Minister Arjun Munda. When he left BJP, he said that now BJP is no longer a party of workers.
