JVD to support BSP candidate Salkhan Murmu for bypoll

Jamshedpur, Aug 25 (UNI) Jharkhand Vikas Dal (JVD) has decided to support Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Salkhan Murmu in the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha byelection slated for August 29.

In a joint press meet, JVD president Suraj Mandal along with the BSP leaders, said the decision of extending support to BSP was taken on the grounds of 'social justice'.

Mr Mandal said the alliance with the BSP would continue even after the bypolls and both the parties would fight for uplifting the poor and downtrodden in the state.

He claimed that a large section of the traders' community were with him and they would work for Mr Murmu.

Coming down heavily on the Madhu Koda government in the state, Mr Mandal said they had led the state to a bankrupt situation within the last 11 months and said, ''This government is worse than the previous Arjun Munda government.'' Welcoming Mr Mandal's decision, the BSP national general secretary Ram Naresh Arya said the JVD's support would help boost the social engineering concept of the BSP in Jharkhand as well.

He said the BSP along with JVD party would launch a campaign ''Jaati Todo, Samaj Jodo''(Break the caste system to unite the society) in Jharkhand.

BSP candidate Mr Murmu claimed that the party would 'pull out a surprise, like Uttar Pradesh' by winning the bypoll.

UNI