Ranchi, Dec 23 (Inditop.com) While analysts and politicians debated the role of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in a hung assembly, “kingmaker” and party chief Shibu Soren was away in Bokaro watching the poll results unfold on television — and refusing to comment.
“Guruji (Shibu Soren) will comment after the results are declared,” a party worker told Inditop from Bokaro.
His son Hemant Soren, who is trailing in the Dumka assembly seat, also switched off his mobile. However, daughter-in-law Sita Soren, widow of his late son Durga, won from the Jama assembly constituency.
As the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliances vied for the JMM’s support and a hung assembly looked inevitable, JMM workers in Ranchi celebrated the moment by dancing to the tune of drum beats and colouring one another’s faces.
In trends available for the 81 seats, for which counting was on, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Congress-Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) combine were virtually neck and neck. Leads and trends indicated that the BJP-NDA would get 23 seats and the Congress-JVM-P 24.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has won one seat and was leading in 15. It is likely to hold the key to government formation in the state, which has been under president’s rule for almost a year now.
rounak