UPA will under Koda's leadership, RJD

Ranchi, Sep 09 (UNI) A day after JMM supremo Sibu Soren's assertion that the issue of next chief minister in Jharkhand was still open, UPA's another ally, RJD, today came out with open support for Mr Madhu Koda to head the next ministry.

Mr Koda is one of the four ministers resigned from the BJP-led NDA government on September five and reducing it to minority.

RJD leaders Girinath Singh and Udai Shankar Singh told UNI over phone from Kerala that the UPA was united and all 43 MLAs in the 82-member house would vote against Mr Arjun Munda on September 14.

The RJD also termed as baseless the reports of ''misunderstanding'' between Mr Koda and Mr Anos Ekka, another mla in the group of four, published in a section of local media today.

The RJD said Mr Koda and Mr Ekka were keeping healthy relationship adding the people from RSS were behind the curtains in spreading rumours.

The RJD said Mr Munda should resign keeping in view the emerging political development of the state.

They said in the last Assembly polls, the NDA got the mandate to sit in the Opposition bench but it managed to sit in the treasury bench.

Yesterday, Union Coal Minister Sibu Soren claimed that the opposition UPA has 45 MLAs in the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly but Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is expected to take a final decision on the chief ministerial candidate within a day or two.

Asserting that there was no race for the chief minister as Mr Koda's name was doing the round, Mr Soren said the UPA was all set to form the alternative government.

He did not say clearly if he was a contender for the post, adding no decision had been taken and there were many finer points that remained to be addressed before reaching unanimity.

The leadership issue in the UPA had kept the central leadership on toes as heavyweights-- Mr Lalu Prasad (RJD) and Mr Soren (JMM)-- were trying to make their respective presence felt in the alternative government.

Political pundits here felt that with the duo engaged in constant battle for supremacy in Bihar and Jharkhand politics, the ball was tactfully left to the UPA chairperson's court.

With no strong and acceptable contender from both RJD and JMM emerging so far, Mr Koda (IND) might walk away with the crown.

The BJP-led NDA was reduced to minority after four ministers-- Madhu Koda, Anos Ekka, Kamlesh Singh and Harinarayan Rai resigned from the government.

UNI AM-PRS PC AB 2045