Congress admits Champa's leaving UPA as BJP's gain in Koderma poll

Ranchi, Sep 3 (UNI) Ahead of the byelections to Koderma Parliamentary seat which witnesses hectic political bargaining to woo prospective candidates into its fold, AICC secretary Mabel Rebello today admitted that heavyweight Champa Verma's recent joining the BJP rendered the UPA's job tougher in the fray.

Ms Rebello told UNI in an interview here that Ms Verma had strong mass support in the constituency for her late husband Reet Lal Verma who had won it five times on the BJP ticket.

But the late BJP leader's wife joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of Mr Sibu Soren and lost the seat to Mr Babulal Marandi, then a BJP nominee, in the last general elections.

The senior Congress leader said her deserting the UPA would certainly inflict a dent in the allies' vote bank, forcing them to look for a prospective winning candidate to fight the coming byelections tooth and nail.

Later at a press conference, Ms Rebello, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from the state, said allies in the UPA had already given their opinion about their nominees but a final decision would be taken by chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Regarding the state Congress' repeated assertion that this time the party's nominee should be fielded as common candidate, she said it was ''too early to comment on it'', for the poll was still about three months away.

'' We are very carefully examining the situation, '' she said adding the scene was getting complicated day by day and the UPA would certainly come up with unanimity on the issue to give a challenging fight.

Ms Champa Verma later last month joined the BJP after she was understood to have struck a deal to ensure the party ticket for her son Pranav Verma. However, a formal announcement of the BJP nominee was still awaited.

The seat fell vacant following Mr Marandi's resignation from the Lok Sabha in May this year.

Mr Marandi had already annonuced to fight the poll as an Independent under the banner of newly-floated Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (Democratic).

UNI PRS SJC HS RS1631