'Factionalism may delay new Jharkhand chief minister'

Factionalism within Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jharkhand unit is likely to delay selection of new chief minister, according to a party leader.

Factionalism within Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jharkhand unit is likely to delay selection of new chief minister, according to a party leader Tuesday.

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"The party is facing one of the worst cases of factionalism within the state. There are so many aspirants for chief minister. It is indeed a tough job to take a decision regarding the chief minister," the BJP leader, who did not wish to be identified, said.

"Our national president Nitin Gadkari will take final decision, but even the central leaders have their own choices," the leader added.

The two front runners - former chief minister and party general secretary Arjun Munda and state BJP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ragubar Das are undertaking intensive lobbying within the party to get the post.

Two BJP observers, Rajnath Singh and Ananth Kumar, deputed by the party president to assess the situation, met party legislators in the state party office here and heard their views on government formation and their choice of chief minister. They did not speak to media persons.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has expressed unhappiness over the BJP's statement that it would head the government for the remaining four and half years.

The JMM decided to support the BJP in order to end the political crisis in Jharkhand sparked off by Shibu Soren, who still retains his Lok Sabha seat, voting against BJP-moved cut motions in parliament. This decision led the BJP to threaten withdrawal of support to the Soren-held government.