Ranchi: The RJD, JVM and Left parties on Wednesday resolved to back JMM candidates in the May 28 bypolls for Gomia and Silli Assembly seats to stem the rise of the BJP while the Congress promised to take a formal decision on the issue on Thursday.
These decisions were taken during a meeting of Opposition parties at JMM executive president and leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren's Kanke Road official residence, a stone's throw from chief minister Raghubar Das's address, on Wednesday evening.
The RJD, JVM and Left parties also asked the Congress to formally announce its support to the JMM at the earliest for the bypolls.
The JMM, which held both seats, is hoping to retain them in the bypolls necessitated by the conviction of Amit Mahto (Silli) and Yogendra Mahto (Gomia) and subsequent stripping of their legislator status. Though it is widely believed that their wives, Seema and Babita, will be fielded in Silli and Gomia, Hemant on Thursday told the media later that names would be formally announced in a day or two.
Sounding elated, he told newspersons that JMM would retain both seats as they had Opposition support.
"Political forces have realised that they need to put up a united fight to get rid of BJP gimmicks," he added.
Congress Legislature Party leader Alamgir Alam, who attended the meeting with Hemant, told this paper that they had submitted their report to Congress high command. "Tomorrow (Thursday), we will hold a meeting at our party office and take a formal decision (supporting the JMM) latest by 3pm," he said.
Left party MCC MLA from Nirsa Arup Chatterjee said supporting the JMM was the need of the hour. "Checking the rise of the BJP is the main challenge before secular forces committed to safeguard the interests of the weaker sections. Our party never had ties with BJP since the latter's Jan Sangh days," he said.
CPI-ML (Liberation) representatives did not take part in Thursday's meeting, though the party promised to give "sympathetic consideration" to Hemant's proposal. "We held extensive talks with Hemant Soren on Tuesday, there was no point going to this meeting without discussing the subject at our state council this week," said the party's state secretary Janardan Prasad.
