Ranchi, Nov. 30: The run for the Tamar has begun but Vasundhara Munda has fears.

Gearing up for the by-elections, Janata Dal (United) has appointed Lok Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari and Bihar’s rural work minister Brishen Patel as party co-ordinators for the by-polls. Senior JD(U) leader Shravan Kumar will be the overall in-charge.

This was decided in Patna on Thursday evening. The by-elections will be held on December 29. The seat fell vacant on June 9, after the gruesome killing of JD(U) legislature and party leader Ramesh Singh Munda.

The JD(U) has decided to field the slain leader’s wife Vasundhara Munda. On Thursday evening, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had met Vasundhara, party’s Jharkhand unit chief Jaleshwar Mahto and several senior leaders. They then resolved to work towards retaining the Assembly seat.

Though Vasundhara was intimated to begin preparations for the bypoll several months ago, the formal campaign is yet to be launched. Somewhat unnerved by her husband’s gruesome killing, she too, is hesitant to foray into the deep interiors of the Tamar constituency.

The BJP has promised her full support, but is yet to swing into action. Chief minister Shibu Soren, who is yet to become a member of the Assembly, too, has clarified that he would not try his luck in Tamar.

Sources said the UPA was also considering extending tacit support to Munda to prove a point in the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

But for Vasundhara, bigger challenges lie ahead.

Her stepson Prahlad Singh Munda recently joined the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (Ajsu) and is eager to inherit his father’s legacy. Vasundhara’s inexperience in politics, too, is another stumbling block. Her son Vikas, when contacted for information about the bypoll said: “My mother is away and I am busy at some other place. I can’t share information about our preparations right now.”

But the state unit JD(U) chief Jaleshwar Mahto is confident. He said they would be launching their campaigns in Tamar soon.

A party workers’ meeting will also be organised in Tamar to infuse energy among the cadre. But the details of the meeting are yet to be finalised.

“We will request the Ajsu chief to not field their candidate in the by-elections. In any case, the next Assembly elections will be held after a year and the Ajsu will not gain much by having another member at this juncture,” Mahto added.