Dumka/Godda, April 7: Furkan Ansari, the Congress candidate from Godda, is keeping very busy. Not with campaigns, but in trying to convince JMM leader and Shibu Soren’s elder son Durga Soren to withdraw his candidature from the same seat.

Furkan, along with senior JMM leaders Hemlel Murmu, Hazi Hussain Ansari, Prasant Mandal and Preamnandan Mandal, visited Soren’s residence at Khizuria, Dumka, yesterday and again today hoping that they would be able to convince the firebrand leader to back out.

But Durga is yet to relent. He apparently did not even meet the senior leaders. An attendant told them: “He is getting ready to attain Baba (Shibu Soren) in New Delhi.”

Soren, who is against Durga’s candidature, is admitted at a hospital in New Delhi and sources said Durga is likely to discuss the issue with his father and will then take a final call tomorrow. However, his younger brother Hemant reportedly assured Furkan that he would pull back his nomination papers tomorrow.

Hemant, who received the guests, albeit reluctantly, today, believed to have told Furkan: “Just wait and watch. Bhaiya (Durga) will certainly withdraw his papers tomorrow.”

Congress and JMM are contesting the Lok Sabha elections together in Jharkhand. Yet Durga has gone ahead and filed his nominations from Godda constituency where the Congress has fielded Furkan.

“This is really an embarrassing situation. It was not JMM’s decision to field Durga from Godda. Rather, it was his own call,” complained former JMM MLA Prasant Mandal. Furkan seemed upbeat though. “Hemant has promised us that Durga will withdraw his papers tomorrow,” he said.

A Durga aide said: “Our leader’s vehicle only runs forward; there is no back gear in it.”