Jharkhand Cong leaders rush to Delhi to discuss poll alliance

, Oct 27:

PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat besides other party leaders today left for New Delhi after attending the extended working committee meeting here to discuss on pre-poll alliance and seat adjustments, a senior Congress leader said.

"Bhagat has gone to Delhi to take advice from party leadership on matters like pre-poll alliance, selection of candidates and seat adjustments," PCC General Secretary Alok Dubey said. "Bhagat himself is an aspirant from Lohardaga Assembly segment, where polling will be held on November 25," he added. Bhagat chaired the extended working committee meeting in which all district presidents and other leaders were present, Dubey said.

Another Congress leader and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, who is also in Delhi, said, "Things will be clear within a couple of days." A senior leader, who requested not to be quoted, said, "The leaders present in the extended working meeting said they want to contest alone or at best in alliance with the RJD. Because they are against contesting elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the event of alliance with the JMM."

The senior office bearer of the PCC further said, "The party leaders were also against tie-up with Babulal Marandi's Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) as Marandi had attacked the Congress soon after the 2009 assembly elections."

Marandi had snapped the 2009 pre-poll alliance with the Congress. JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya has already said that the party was ready to contest the elections under the leadership of the chief minister and direction of party supremo Shibu Soren.

The JMM heads the coalition in alliance with Congress, the RJD and other smaller parties and independent MLAs. Jharkhand is going for a five-phase polling from November 25.

PTI