A day after striking a pact with the Congress party, the JMM in its blatant pressure tactics has advocated for a written assurance by the Congress that the grand old party will support them in the Assembly and General elections 2019. Party’s working president Hemant Soren today said that his party may reconsider the proposal if the wishes of JMM Chief Shibu Soren are not fulfilled.

“Guruji’s question is legitimate. If he is not happy, I am not above him. If doubts have been raised, it is upto the Congress party to clear them. We have reached an agreement in principle and everyone knows that. If the Guruji’s wishes are not respected, the proposal may be reconsidered,” said Hemant talking to media persons at Birsa Munda Airport on Wednesday.

Hemant had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday and finalized a deal, according to which the Congress will field its candidate in Rajya Sabha poll scheduled on March 23 and later the Congress will contest Assembly and General elections 2019 in the leadership of the JMM. However, JMM Chief Shibu Soren had raised doubts on the proposal and had demanded a written assurance from the Congress.

Talking about the issue, former JPCC chief and Lohardaga MLA Sukhdeo Bhagat said that there was no need of any written assurance as such a practice is not common in politics. He said that the most credible assurance is that the national president of the party has approved the proposal.

“When the issues have been discussed at length with the national president of our party, I do not think there is need of any written assurance. Politics is done with ideas and there is no need of written assurances. Nowhere in the country are written pacts done in politics. Moreover, the talks have taken place in the presence of State president, State incharge and Rahul jee, they are themselves the biggest assurances. We are taking the things in the most positive manner,” said Bhagat.

In the 81-member Assembly a Rajya Sabha candidate needs 28 votes to ensure victory. The JMM is banking on its 18 MLAs with support from 7 Congress, 2 JVM and 2 Left party MLAs. Altogether the figure will come to 29 votes securing at least one seat for the Opposition.

Meanwhile, the state BJP has said that the party would contest on both the seats in the State. State BJP President Laxman Gilua today said that they will recommend to the central leadership about contesting elections from both the seats in Jharkhand. He said that they will recommend granting tickets to senior workers of the party from the State.

The BJP has 45 MLAs in the House with support of 6 AJSU MLAs and two independents, including Geeta Koda and Bhanu Pratap Shahi.