BJP holds meeting on Koderma by-poll

Ranchi, Jul 29 (UNI) Even as the date for byelection to Koderma Parliamentary seat is yet to be fixed, political parties started making strategies with the ruling BJP today taking the lead holding a special meeting in presence of top state party functionaries under the observation of central emissary and in-charge of Jharkhand Sumitra Mahajan.

The by-poll was necessitated following former BJP national vice-president Babulal Marandi's resignation from Lok Sabha two months ago. He, at present, heads the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and has a mission to teach the ''corrrupt'' BJP a lesson.

The state BJP's Koderma Parliamentary Party Workers' meeting was held at Koderma attended by Chief Minister Arjun Munda, Finance Minister Raghubar Das, Agriculture Minister Satyanand Bhokta, party's state president Yadunath Pandey, state vice-president Ramtahal Choudhary and two party legislators Chittaranjan Yadav and Kedar Hazra from Barkattha and Jamua Assembly, which comes under the same Parliamentary seat.

However, in what may be termed as defiance or dissidence, absence of another party MLA Ravinder Rai at today's high-level meeting did not go well with the leadership.

Mr Rai, MLA from Rajdhanwar, on many occasions had shown loyalty to Mr Marandi.

The BJP sources confirmed that Mr Rai was not present in the meeting and had not given any prior intimation of his absence.

Talking to UNI, Mr Rai attributed his absence to personal reasons and asserted it was not mandatory to inform the party in advance.

Meanwhile, the Marandi-led JVM had already sounded a clarion call holding rallies across the state terming the coming Koderma by-poll as a chance for the people of Jharkahnd to decide on their future.

The BJP said the result in Koderma was a forgone conclusion as the holding of by-poll remained be a formality only.

With claim and counter claims going unabated, the Opposition Congrress also was not lagging far behind.

The Congress said the party would try to field a candidate after having consultation with allies in the UPA.

While the Jharkhand Mukkti Morcha, led by Mr Sibu Soren, was yet to disclose its mind, the RJD was understood to have favoured a candidate of its own in the fray.

On July 26, launching a frontal attack on the party leadership, Jharkhand BJP vice-president Som Marandi asked Chief Minister Arjun Munda to step down, saying the BJP-led NDA government was indulging in rampant corruption.

Mr Marandi did not rule out resigning from the party, however, adding such plan was not on his agenda for the moment.

UNI AM-PRS SJC VD KP1934