"JMM, Congress MLAs unhappy with their govt": BJP leader Babulal Marandi

RANCHI: After the former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA and sister-in-law of ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Sita Soren, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, party chief Babulal Marandi welcomed her and said that JMM MLAs and Congress MLAs are unhappy with their governments. Sita Soren joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. After resigning from the membership of JMM, Sita Soren tendered her resignation from the membership of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. She was the general secretary of the JMM.

"Everyone is welcome. If Sita comes to Ram, it is natural. Everyone is welcome. She has joined today and she will work. We have always said that JMM MLAs and Congress MLAs are unhappy with their governments," Marandi said. When asked about the speculations about her contesting Lok Sabha elections from Dumka on a BJP ticket, the party chief said, "This is decided by the central election committee. I don't decide that." BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also welcomed Sita Soren to the party and said that the latter had joined the party without any conditions. "Sita Soren is welcome. The party will decide (her role). As per the information available to me, she has joined the party without any conditions," Dubey said.

When asked if JMM MLA Lobin Hembrom will also join the BJP, the party MP said, "Only time will tell if it will be Champai (Soren) or Lobin (Hembrom). When Kalpana Soren files a nomination for the CM post, what will Champai Soren do?" Meanwhile, JMM General Secretary and Spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya hit out at the saffron party and said that how the BJP did a 'use and throw' with Pashupati Kumar Paras tells the real 'Chaal-Charitra-Chehra' of the BJP. "I think, when someone has to go somewhere (to another party), they have to give some reason.

Not everyone is Pashupati Kumar Paras, who submitted a 3-line resignation letter and thanked them. But how the BJP did a 'use and throw' with him tells the real 'Chaal-Charitra-Chehra' of the BJP. They pick up whenever they need someone. They kept senior leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, and Raman Singh with them as long as they needed them and then threw them away later," he said. "A CM was demoted to the position of Deputy CM in Maharashtra because they didn't need Devendra Fadnavis. Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the BJP, won the election and directly became the Deputy CM first and eventually the Chief Minister," the JMM Spokesperson added.

While the BJP has named candidates for 11 out of 14 seats in Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidates. The voting process in Jharkhand will unfold in four phases, from May 13 to June 1. In the Lok Sabha election 2019, the BJP won 11 seats with a 51.9 per cent vote share, while Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and ASJU won one seat each.

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.