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Conscience vote may be JMM’s way out of Yashwant Sinha-Droupadi Murmu dilemma
The JMM was among the 17 opposition parties to nominate ex-union minister Yashwant Singh as their presidential candidate but the BJP’s move to field Droupadi Murmu complicated the choice for Hemant Soren’s party
RANCHI: The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which has been caught in a bind over its choice for the presidential election, is considering asking its elected representatives to vote “as per their conscience”, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The JMM was among the 17 opposition parties to nominate former union minister Yashwant Singh as their presidential candidate but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decision to Droupadi Murmu, a tribal from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, as the NDA candidate complicated the situation for the Shibu Soren-led JMM in Jharkhand, which came to power in 2019 due to strong support for the ruling coalition in Jharkhand’s tribal-dominated regions. 19 of the JMM’s 30 legislators are from the scheduled tribes community.
JMM leaders have acknowledged that the party cannot be seen to be standing in the way of the first tribal elevation to the country’s topmost constitutional post. Her election is almost certain given that the numbers are heavily stacked in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee.
Shibu Soren convened a meeting of the JMM’s elected representatives and senior leaders on Saturday last on the party’s presidential choice. It ended with authorising party president Shibu Soren to take the decision. On Monday, Shibu Soren’s son and chief minister Hemant Soren called on union minister Amit Shah against this backdrop. Soren did not talk about the specific agenda behind his Delhi visit after his meeting.
A senior JMM leader aware of the discussions in the party on the presidential elections said letting legislators vote according to their conscience was being explored.
“The option of leaving it to the conscience of the party MLAs and MPs is definitely on the table. That could be the middle path for the leadership which is stuck in making a choice between the NDA nominee and the opposition candidate. Things could become clear next week,” the JMM leader said.
JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said the decision will be taken at the right time. “The party has authorised its top leadership in the Saturday meeting to take a call. Our president and working president (Soren) will take a call at right time and that would be made public accordingly,” said Pandey.
The BJP, which has been taunting the JMM over its indecision on Droupadi Murmu, said the NDA’s presidential nominee was expected to make her first visit to Jharkhand to seek support lawmakers. “The date has not been finalized as yet but preparations are on for her visit. She could visit the state next week,” a senior Jharkhand BJP leader said.
Congress leaders said they are yet to receive information about the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha’s schedule. “We have heard nothing on the issue from the central leadership or from the office of Yashwant Sinha as yet,” said Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur.
Sinha was scheduled to visit his home state Jharkhand on June 24 but his programeme was changed a day prior to his visit due to what was then attributed to ‘unforeseen’ circumstances. The change coincided with the rethink in the JMM on supporting Yashwant Sinha.
The ruling JMM has 30 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, one Lok Sabha and two Rajya Sabha members. JMM’s ally Congress has 18 legislators, besides one Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha member each, from the state, while the third ruling partner RJD has one legislator. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one member each in the assembly, which also has two Independents. In the opposition camp, BJP has 25 legislators, 12 Lok Sabha members and three Rajya Sabha members from the state.
