Jharkhand assembly election 2019: BJP-AJSU alliance still in limbo, Sudesh Mahto to meet Amit Shah

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s first list of 52 candidates has kept the hopes of its coalition partner alive, as the saffron party left aside the seats claimed by ally AJSU Party for a decision at a later stage.

The announcement of BJP-AJSU party alliance and seat sharing pact has been delayed due to AJSU’s demand of larger share in 2019 assembly elections.

The AJSU Party has demanded 19 seats, 11 more than what it had received in 2014 assembly elections.

Decision on alliance has further been delayed due to glitches on two seats--Lohardaga and Chandankiyari assembly constituencies --claimed by the AJSU Party. These two seats were in AJSU kitty in 2014 but the BJP wanted them this time to field former Congress president Sukhdeo Bhagat, now in Bharatiya Jana Party’s fold, and minister Amar Kumar Bauri from Lohardaga and Chandankiyari respectively.

AJSU president Sudesh Mahto, who met BJP’s Jharkhand election in-charge Om Prakash Mathur on Saturday, flew again to New Delhi on Sunday to hold talks with party’s national president Amit Shah.

Before leaving to Delhi, the AJSU Party president addressed the media in the state capital, saying that both the parties were looking for a workable solution to accomplish the target of securing win on 65 plus seats out of 81 in Jharkhand.

“Our party is preparing on more than 26 seats. We had earlier submitted a list of 26 assembly constituencies. However, we cut short the list and restricted it to 19 seats. We now wanted to these constituencies under the seat sharing pact,” Mahto said.

He further added, “The party will take a final decision after holding talks with Amit Shah. But, in any case, AJSU will release its first list on Monday. It will also publish its manifesto on November 14.”

Replying on Lohardaga seat, Mahto said, “Niru Shanti Bhagat, wife of AJSU’s former Lohardaga MLA Kamal Kishore Bhagat, is preparing for this seat. Party’s “Chhulha Pramukh Sammellan” is scheduled on Monday and I will be attending this after my return from Delhi.”

Outsiders accommodated in first list

The BJP’s first list of 52 candidates accommodated all outsiders who had switched side to join the saffron party.

The party announced the names of Naveen Jaiswal (Hatia assembly constituency), Raj Paliwal (Madhupur), Randheer Singh (Sarath), Alok Chourasia (Daltongunj) and Prakash Ram (Latehar).

These MLAs had joined the BJP after winning 2014 elections on JVM (P) ticket. Besides, the BJP also fielded Kunal Sarangi (Bahragora), JP Patel (Mandu), Manoj Yadav (Barhi) and Bhanu Pratap Shahi (Bhaunathpur). While Sarangi and Patel had quit the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to join the BJP, Yadav had left Congress to embrace the saffron party. Shahi was an independent legislator .

However, the party is yet to decide on the candidature of minister Amar Kumar Bauri, MLAsJanki Yadav and Sukhdeo Bhagat.