Jharkhand to be ninth State under BJP rule: Gadkari

Mumbai, Dec. 26 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party's new president Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that his party would be part of the government in Jharkhand state.

Addressing party workers and supporters, Gadkari said Jharkhand would be the ninth State under BJP's rule.

"When there were two members of parliament, people started saying that this party was on the verge of collapse. Today, we have a government in eight states. And when I was coming out of the airport, I got a call from Rajnath Singh, saying that we will now be ruling in a ninth state as well. That is in Jharkhand," Gadkari said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren has staked a claim to form the government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All Jharkhand Students Union.

Reports say a list of 42 legislators submitted to the governor to form the government includes 18 each of the JMM and BJP, five of the AJSU besides the lone MLA of Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch, led by Bandhu Tirkey.

Jharkhand, a state with a history of unstable coalition governments, has been under Governor's rule since January in the wake of a political deadlock, after the then-chief Shibu Soren lost a by-election and was disqualified.

The State assembly was first placed under suspended animation and later dissolved when elections were announced.

The results for the Jharkhand state assembly elections on Wednesday (December 23) produced a hung assembly, with no single party being in a position to form the government on its own.

The Congress alliance claimed the highest number of seats with 25 out of the total 81. The BJP and its allies won 20 seats, while the JMM got 18. The regional Rashtriya Janata Dal and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) won five seats each. (ANI)