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Jharkhand BJP abuzz with speculations of party dumping few sitting parliamentarians
Cobbling an alliance with All Jharkhand Student’s Union (AJSU) party, the BJP has parted away with its stronghold Giridih seat, represented by five time parliamentarian Ravindra Pandey.
After the announcement of the upcoming Lok Sabha poll dates, the Jharkhand BJP is abuzz with speculations that the party may not go with sitting parliamentarian in some of the constituencies and may field new candidates. The BJP currently has 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state in its kitty.
According to party insiders, new faces may emerge as candidates in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Chatra and Lohardaga constituencies. However, nothing is certain as the final selection of candidate lies with the party’s central command, which is likely to release the list of candidates by the end of this month.
As per the election schedule, Jharkhand will go for polls in four phases on April 29 for three Lok Sabha constituencies (Chatra, Palamu and Lohardaga), May 6 for four seats (Ranchi, Khunti, Hazaribag and Koderma), May 12 for four seats (Giridih, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Singhbhum) and May 19 for three constituencies (Godda, Dumka and Rajmahal).
Cobbling an alliance with All Jharkhand Student’s Union (AJSU) party, the BJP has parted away with its stronghold Giridih seat, represented by five time parliamentarian Ravindra Pandey. The decision, however, has surprised a section of BJP leaders and workers. The decision has further fueled speculations of party fielding new faces in few seats.
Soon after the announcement, Pandey had commented that he would abide by the party’s decision and rejected the possibility of his joining another party or contesting the seat as an independent. However, he is said to be stationed in the national capital meeting senior leaders of the party.
“Some of the recent opinion polls have shown a setback for the party in the state. It has further set the cat among the pigeons,” a party insider said, not willing to be quoted.
With the rise of election fever in the state, a turf war has ensued between probable contenders for the Lok Sabha seats. The names of these contenders would become clearer on March 15, when the state’s BJP election committee would meet to discuss on the issue.
Grapevines are rife that the BJP may not continue with Ranchi’s sitting MP Ramtahal Choudhary owing to his advance age. Party sources said that Ranchi’s sitting MLA and urban development minister CP Singh is one of the front runners to become party candidate for this Lok Sabha seat. It is learnt that former IPS officer and vice-president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary was also making efforts to secure his candidature. He had unsuccessfully contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Ranchi on JVM (P) ticket.
Similarly, Dhanbad is another constituency which can spring a surprise. Though, sitting parliamentarian PN Singh is a strong contender for this seat, as he represented the sizable Rajput community in Dhanbad, the city’s mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal is learnt of making hectic parleys with key leaders for press for candidature.
Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo, however, said these are mere speculations. “There is a democratic set up in the party. The final decision has to be taken by the central committee after a series of discussion with all concerned in a democratic manner,” he added.
