New Delhi: Congress is now planning to make his government in Jharkhand. Party President Sonia Gandhi today held a meeting for consultations with senior party leaders, including A K Antony, as talks for an alliance with JMM for the next Lok Sabha polls and formation of a coalition government in Jharkhand reached the final stage.
Few days ago, Bhagat Singh and senior state congress leader Sarfaraz Ahmed met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Singh said he was 100 per cent sure that the RJD would back the new government in Jharkhand. Now Defence Minister Antony, a member of the sub-group on alliances for the next general elections, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Jharkhand B K Hariprasad, AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, PCC chief Sukhdeo Bhagat and CLP leader Rajendra Singh met Gandhi this morning to apprise her of the progress of the talks with JMM so far.
Sources said that Congress has agreed to have a JMM Chief Minister in the state which in lieu has consented to give a lion’s share of the 14 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress.
Hemant Soren, son of Shibu Soren, held a meeting with RJD chief Lalu Prasad last night to seek his support for the coalition government. Hours before his meeting with Prasad, Soren had a long discussion with Antony, the Congress President’s political secretary Ahmed Patel where nitty-gritties of government formation were learnt to have been discussed. Hemant Soren is tipped to be the next Chief Minister.
There would be no Deputy Chief Minister in new government but Congress may get five to six ministries and RJD is expected to get two ministries while JMM will have to be content with the Chief Ministers post and four ministerial slots, sources said.
They said a coordination committee is expected to be set up and is likely to be chaired by a Congress leader.
Congress is expected to contest eight of the 14 seats in the state leaving four for JMM and two for RJD for being a part of the broad agreement over seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections. President’s Rule in Jharkhand will expire on July 17. President’s Rule was imposed in Jharkhand on January 18 after the resignation of Chief Minister Arjun Munda. In the 82-member Assembly, BJP and JMM have 18 MLAs each.
Bureau Report
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