BJP to meet alliance partners for Jamshedpur by-polls

Jamshedpur, Jun 9: The BJP today (June 9) said they will soon meet the leaders of alliance partners, including JMM and AJSU party, to put up a consensus candidate in the forthcoming Jamshedpur parliamentary by-election slated for July 1.

Harendra Pratap, BJP in-charge of party affairs in Jharkhand, said BJP will certainly contest the Jamshedpur by-poll as it was a traditional seat of the party.

The by-election to the seat was necessitated after Munda, who won the seat with a record margin in the last general election but vacated after he was elected to the state assembly from his home assembly constituency Kharswan in adjoining Saraikela-Kharswan district in February last, to continue at the chief minister's post.

About JMM and AJSU party's claim to contest the seat, Pratap said in a democratic set up, every party has the right to contest election but will discuss the coalition partners to field a consensus candidate.

He said the party will meet on Friday June 10 at Ranchi and discuss about the candidate for the by-poll.

"We would only recommend the names of probable candidate for the by-poll but the central leadership would be the final authority to take a decision in this regard," he said.

Pratap denied any rift within the organisation on the issue and will fight the by-poll unitedly to retain the seat.

Earlier, JMM, a major alley in the Munda-led Jharkhand government, had resolved to contest the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha by-poll as it was their traditional seat.

JMM leaders had said there would not be any impact on the state government even if they contest the by-poll alongwith BJP.

PTI