New Delhi/Ranchi: The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) founded by Babulal Marandi headed for a straight split on Monday with the former Chief Minister announcing the merger of the party with the BJP, shortly after which the two other JVM MLAs surfaced at the AICC Headquarters in Delhi saying they were joining the Congress.
The two MLAs Pradeep Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey claimed that at a meeting on Sunday an overwhelming 95 per cent of the workers of the JVM had decided to join the Congress.
Tirkey said that the party has passed a resolution to this effect and Congress President Sonia Gandhi has accepted that.
The Congress said that since the two out of three existing JVM legislators had joined the party, anti-defection law does not apply as two-thirds of the floor strength of the party was with them. Yadav is also the party’s floor leader in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Questioned as to whether the ruling alliance would seek the disqualification of Marandi then, Congress general secretary in-charge of Jharkhand R.P.N. Singh said that it was an issue on which the speaker of the Assembly has to take a call.
Meanwhile in Ranchi, the former Chief Minister announced the merger of the JVM with the Bharatiya Janata Party at an event in the presence of home minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda.
