Ranchi, April 22: The Congress has decided to field a candidate in Panki Assembly segment considered a party stranglehold, but kept windows open for an alliance with anti-BJP parties in Godda even as the JMM today went ahead to declare its own candidates for the twin seats heading for bypolls on May 16.
State unit chief Sukhdeo Bhagat, who chaired a Congress coordination committee meeting in the capital today, said that Panki was a party seat. "So the party has a natural claim (to field a candidate)," he added.
Panki was held by late Bidesh Singh of Congress while Godda was held by late Raghunandan Mandal of BJP.
"But, as far as Godda is concerned, the party has decided to work out possibilities of alliance with anti-BJP forces and will have no problem in supporting a strong candidate. Our main objective will be to defeat BJP in both the seats," Bhagat told The Telegraph.
Bhagat is expected to visit Delhi to apprise party supremo Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi of the situation in the state, after which a formal announcement of candidates would be made.
But, insiders revealed that the meeting, which was attended by former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, former deputy chief minister Rajendra Prasad Singh and legislative party leader Alamgir Alam, discussed the name of Devendra Singh, alias Bittu Singh, the son of former MLA Bidesh Singh, for Panki seat.
The JMM today named ex-Odisha DGP Sanjeev Marik party candidate from Godda and director of Ranchi-based Oxford Public School Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta nominee from Panki, ignoring the Congress's overtures for alliance.
The JMM yesterday made its intention to go it alone in the bypolls clear. This afternoon, after a meting with senior party leaders at his residence, former chief minister Hemant Soren announced the names.
The RJD, on the other hand, has already announced Sanjay Prasad Yadav as its candidate from Godda. Yadav will file his papers on April 25.
"Godda is party seat...we have won it twice (2000 & 2009) since Jharkhand's formation in 2000. We are hopeful to get support from parties like JVM and JMM," state RJD president Gautam Sagar Rana claimed.
