Congress, BJP try to woo Guruji

New Delhi/Patna, Dec. 23: The hung Assembly in Jharkhand means the JMM chief, Mr Shibu Soren, is back in focus again with both the BJP and Congress trying to woo him.

The BJP, which is assured of the support of five AJSU legislators, is keen to form a government with the JMM’s support. But sources said Mr Soren’s demand to be made chief minister is proving a major stumbling block for both the Congress and the BJP. The tribal leader is to arrive in Ranchi on Thursday to explore the possibilities before him.

“We have to try to form a secular government and we shall be talking with Guruji soon,” the Jharkhand’s lone Congress MP, Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, said. The BJP MP and former chief minister, Mr Arjun Munda, sounded equally keen when he said, “I know Guruji well and respect him. I was earlier with the JMM. We are considering all options.”

Sensing that the situation is delicately poised, the Congress central leadership, in its initial reaction, made a tactical move as party spokesperson Manish Tiwari described the RJD, which has bagged five seats, as a “UPA constituent” and Mr Soren a “family member”. The results also show that the Congress’ pre-poll ally, the JVM, led by former chief minister Babulal Marandi, has emerged the biggest gainer with 10 seats in its electoral debut, leaving the BJP as the main loser. Even the other NDA ally, the JD(U), had to be content with just two seats, five less than its previous tally. Expressing his dismay over the results, JD(U) president and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav said, “The results simply indicate that the issues which we raised during the polls did not work at all. It seems that issues like stability, corruption and price hike were rejected by the electorate.”

Meanwhile, later on Wed-nesday evening, by authorising party president Nitin Gadkari to take a final call, the BJP Parliamentary Bo-ard has also decided to keep afloat the option of forming a government in Jharkhand. This means that 13 MLAs belonging to the “Others” category and Independents would be much sought after in case of a possible non-Congress formation.