New Delhi/Ranchi, Nov. 3: The Congress leadership kept wavering like a straw in the wind today, reopening negotiations with Babulal Marandi in the evening after releasing a list of 26 candidates, but deliberately leaving out 16 first phase constituencies to keep options open.

Fresh negotiations would resume tomorrow, confirmed party sources, with Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) to explore the possibility of an electoral understanding.

Many Congress leaders were in touch with Marandi since late evening. “We have not withdrawn our offer to Marandi. How can anyone say with certainty that alliance was ruled out,” a Congress leader told The Telegraph late in the night, revealing that the JVM would convey its final decision by tomorrow noon.

The first Congress list had 26 candidates; 14 for the first phase, nine for the second and three for the third ( ). These are seats the Congress is determined to fight even if the deal with JVM is done. The only contentious seat in this list is Bokaro, which Marandi wants for veteran leader Samresh Singh.

The Congress has its sitting MLA, Izrail Ansari, from there who has been re-nominated. But the issue is likely to be amicably sorted out as Samresh has fought several elections from neighbouring Chandankiyari in the past.

Congress leaders say Marandi was being naïve by staking claim on seats where the Congress has sitting MLAs. One senior leader said, “We are trying to convince Marandi that negotiations should be strength-specific, not personality-specific. He should not subjugate the larger political interests to individual interests.”

The Congress is not ready to project him as the chief ministerial candidate either. The party’s central election committee has finalised 52 names, still leaving 29 constituencies open for negotiations. Of these, the Congress is ready to spare 25 for the JVM.

Today, the Congress did not announce candidates for several seats going to polls in the first phase, namely Borio, Nala, Mahgama, Poreyahat, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Nirsa, Dhanbad, Tundi, Sindri, Deoghar, Barhet and Dumka.

As expected, the JVM, too, did not come out with a list of candidates.

Among the names that figured in today’s list are former Lok Sabha MP Sushila Kerketta’s son, Roshan Kumar Surin (Khunti), former MP Furqan Ansari (Jamtara), former Bihar Congress president Sarfaraz Ahamed (Gandey) and eminent educationist and former Ranchi University vice-chancellor Ram Dayal Munda (Tamar). All other sitting and former MLAs have been accommodated in their respective domains.

The Congress’s rethink on an alliance, an indirect admission of its weakness, came about after senior leaders realised the paucity of strong candidates for all the 81 constituencies. The high command chose to revisit the alliance question despite strong resistance from the state unit.

In fact, ticket aspirants from the state went berserk at the party headquarters as soon as word spread about the decision to approach Marandi again, putting AICC Jharkhand incharge K. Keshav Rao in a spot of trouble in the face of strong protests.

The Congress high command has an entirely different assessment of the ground realities in the state and hence it is pushing for an alliance. Initially, senior state leaders like Subodh Kant Sahay were opposed to any alliance but now they have given up.

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RJD, CPI, CPM and LJP have also agreed to fight the polls unitedly.

The RJD will be fielding candidates in Bagodar, Koderma, Garhwa, Hatia, Hussainabad, Manika, Khijri, Kanke, Jharia, Nirsa, Jamua, Deoghar, Godda, Jamtara, Jama and Sarath.

Although it has fielded heavyweights, the RJD is yet to decided on Ram Chandra Chandravanshi and Videsh Singh, who now represent Bishrampur and Panki, respectively. “The candidates are being given symbols one by one. The final list of candidates will be announced after everything is completed,” said RJD leader Manohar Yadav, who will be contesting from Hatia.

The CPM will be contesting Silli, Tamar and Pakur Assembly seats, while the LJP has been given Ranchi, East Jamshedpur, Chhatarpur, Rajmahal, Dhanbad, and Bermo.

Page 17: JMM releases second list; Left starts campaign with Koda censure; Frenzy missing from Santhal Pargana