Former Jharkhand CM's wife and Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda joins BJP ahead of Lok Sabha election

RANCHI: Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Congress MP from Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Geeta Koda, wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, joined the BJP on Monday.

She joined the BJP in the presence of Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi at the party's state office.

The Singhbhum MP was reportedly unhappy with alliances forged by the Congress party in the state, sources said. She has reportedly sent in her resignation to the Party high command. Her resignation will be a loss for the party ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

Earlier, highlighting the differences among the INDIA bloc members, BJP Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi asked whether this alliance exists and called the group an amalgamation of "corrupt people".

Referring to the recent moves by Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal to say no to an alliance with the Congress in West Bengal and Punjab, Marandi said, "INDI alliance was not in existence, and in the future as well, it will not come into existence. Mamata Banerjee is saying that she will not be giving any seats to the left and Congress in West Bengal. Arvind Kejriwal has also clarified his stance on Punjab and Haryana, saying that he will not be doing seat sharing.

"INDI alliance is just an amalgamation of corrupt people; they are so scared of PM Modi that somehow they just want to safeguard them. But their character and past are known to the public," he added.

When asked about the BJP's performance in Jharkhand in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Marandi said, "Last time the NDA alliance won 12 seats and missed two seats, this time we are going to win those two seats as well, and we are preparing for the same."

While further talking about the arrest of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, Marandi took a swipe at him, stating that he was arrested due to his 'karma'.

In an interview with ANI, Marandi said, "Hemant Soren was arrested due to his 'Karma'. There is a saying, 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. He had been looting the state for the last four years. His government was being run by corrupt officers and mediators."

"I even kept writing to the government about the lapses in various projects. However, he paid no attention to it. Gradually, he had to leave the post of Chief Minister and go behind bars," he added.

Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED after several summonses in the alleged land scam case and several hours of questioning on Wednesday night.

The probe pertains to alleged huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing 'fake sellers' and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crore.