Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Hemant Soren said his party will form a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the 2019 elections based on an understanding with the latter, Indian Express reported.
“We are yet to discuss the contours of this alliance, including seat-sharing,” Soren told Indian Express in an interview.
Given the party’s recent bypoll victories in Jharkhand's Silli and Gomia seats, Soren added that his party is in talks to cement an alliance with other parties such as the RJD, the BSP, the Left and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM).
Given Political Mood of the Nation, Natural Choice to Ally: Soren
Given the prevailing political sentiment in the nation, the JMM Chief told IE that it is a “natural choice” to ally.
Soren attributed the recent bypoll win to the collective vote share accrued by parties by coming together as opposed to the urban bodies election when his party was the standalone contender which lost to the BJP.
Before the bypolls, we had the urban bodies election in which we fought separately and lost to the BJP. We saw that when we put our vote share together, we were far ahead of the BJP.Hemant Soren, JMM Chief to Indian Express
Given the political dividends that Opposition is roping in by regional parties, he said that the “JMM could win a majority of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand”, the report added.
National Parties Must Accept Role Played by Regional Parties: Soren
In the backdrop of his presence at the induction of the ministers in the Karnataka Cabinet, Soren said “National parties would have to accept the national role being played by regional parties.”
“If the BJP’s winning streak has to be stopped, regional parties will have to be given due importance,” Soren cited.
The Leader of Opposition in Assembly said “it is difficult to imagine national politics without the Congress.” Despite his recent meet with leaders from the south including K Chandrashekar Rao, his stance on the Third Front coming together seemed ambivalent.
“As far as the ideas being pushed by leaders such as KCR and N Chandrababu Naidu are concerned, in politics many things are discussed. Third Front is not something new. But it could not fructify ever. When something happens, we will think about it,” Soren told IE.
(With inputs from Indian Express)
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