Congress and JMM clinch Jharkhand election pact

NEW DELHI: The Congress and the Jharkhand Mukhti Morcha have finalised an alliance for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in BJP-ruled Jharkhand. The two parties will have Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in the alliance.

Congress will lead the alliance in the Lok Sabha polls and is likely to contest in 7 out of the 14 LS seats. JMM will be the lead party for the assembly polls, which is expected to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls. Hemant Soren will be the claimant for the CM’s post. JMM will contest four, JVM 2 and RJD 1 Lok Sabha seat.

The deal was struck at a meeting attended by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Soren and AICC incharge RPN Singh and PCC chief Ajoy Kumar.

AICC general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal too were learnt to have been involved in the exercise. The Congress and JMM “are united in the fight to save democracy”, said Gandhi, while announcing the alliance on his Facebook page.