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Patna, October 18 (IANS) Tension has come to the fore within the Grand Alliance ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced to contest the elections independently.
Dissatisfied with its marginalization in the seat-sharing talks, JMM announced that it will field its candidates in six constituencies – Chakai, Swad, Katoria (S), Manhari and Prenthi – all of which will go to polls in the second phase on November 11. These constituencies are located on the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi on Saturday, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said the party was demanding seven seats within the grand alliance but did not get any seats.
Bhattacharya said, “We have completed our preparations for the Bihar elections and will contest on six seats. However, we are still hopeful that the Grand Alliance leaders will announce their decision soon.”
He clarified that though JMM has not formally severed ties with the alliance, it cannot wait indefinitely as the nomination process is already underway.
Bhattacharya also reminded the alliance partners that JMM had been generous during the previous seat-sharing talks.
He said, “In the 2019 Jharkhand assembly elections, we gave respectable seats to Congress, RJD and CPI (ML). RJD got seven seats in Jharkhand and won only one (Chatra), yet its only MLA was made a minister. Even in the 2024 assembly elections, RJD was given respectable seats.”
Asserting that JMM is capable of taking on the BJP independently, Bhattacharya cautioned that a split in the grand alliance could harm its electoral prospects.
He warned, “We do not want confusion in the alliance. But if our leaders do not campaign in Bihar, the grand alliance may suffer huge losses.”
JMM has also released a list of 20 star campaigners for Bihar, with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren set to lead the campaign. Most of the star campaigners are from the cabinet of Hemant Soren government.
–IANS
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