Dumka, Aug. 8: Stephen Marandi is launching a new political party, taking the cue from his friend, Suraj Mandal, the former deputy chief minister and independent MLA from the Dumka assembly segment.

After victory over Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is prestigious Dumka seat, during the last assembly polls, Marandi began preparing for the backlash with his new party.

During the early nineties, soon after expulsion from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Mandal launched the Jharkhand Vikash Dal (JVD) and Marandi announced the launch of another Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (JVM) when the panchayat election was scheduled in the state. The two former war horses in Shibu Soren?s brigade, who were annoyed with the JMM, however, have a common goal.

Suraj Mandal, once known as the ?shadow? of Soren, has today become his arch-rival. During the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Jharkhand, Mandal?s JVD might not have captured a single seat, but it created panic for the JMM in Santhal Parganas. ?During the Godda Lok Sabha bypoll in 2003, JMM?s candidate was defeated, mainly because of the JVD,? pointed out Sudhir Mishra, a political observer .

Marandi too, echoed Mishra: ?I want to expose the so called icons of the tribal societies. I decided to intensify my fighting for the cause of the plights of common mass in Jharkhand, especially for the tribes. Many parties claim tall but in reality they are the main exploiters.? Stephen did not specify the exact date of launching the party, but said the name of JVM could be changed if required.