Ranchi:

Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal — which might wind up with six assembly seats in Jharkhand – with the lion’s share cornered by allies Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM — is playing for more. Senior party leader Manoj Jha said today that anything less than 12 to 13 seats is not acceptable, and spoke of going solo in the coming assembly elections. 

The state’s ruling allies — Congress and Hemant Soren’s JMM — have decided to contest 70 of 81 seats, which would leave just 11 for RJD and the Left parties. Sources said RJD might be offered six  seats, and the Left would get the rest..

Mr Jha said today that his party has a stronghold on 18-20 seats in Jharkhand.

“Our sole aim is to defeat the BJP. We will not sabotage INDIA bloc… Even if we go solo in Jharkhand polls, we will support INDIA bloc candidates in 60-62 seats,” he told reporters.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the RJD had contested on 7 seats and won only one. 

The JMM had contested 43 seats, winning 30 and the Congress contested 31 seats, winning 16. Together their score came to 47 – comfortably above the halfway mark of 41.

The time, the JMM is expected to increase its share, banking on Chief Minister Hemant Soren, whose recent arrest by Central agencies in a corruption case has apparently triggered indignant reactions among the party’s supporters.

The NDA has already finalised its seat-sharing formula, under which the BJP will contest 68 seats, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest 10, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) will contest two and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party or LJP will contest one seat.

Jharkhand will vote in two phases on November 13 and 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.