Jharkhand BJP infighting over Munda's candidature

The rift has been witnessed during a ceremony organised to welcome newly-appointed state BJP president at its state headquarters

After resignation of Arjun Munda as BJP legislature party leader in the state Assembly followed by induction of Ravindra Rai as state BJP president, the rift within the party level has been widen particularly among the old-timer state BJP leaders who have commands over a sizeable number of party workers in the state. The rift was witnessed during a ceremony organised to welcome the newly appointed state BJP president at its state headquarters here on Saturday where state's senior BJP leaders did not attend the ceremony.

According to available reports the senior BJP leader and former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha had expressed his annoyance with the induction of Ravindra Rai as the chief of the BJP Jharkhand unit.The senior BJP leader skipped the BJP's parliamentary party meet on March 12 in Delhi for ignoring his suggested name to the BJP high command of Raghubar Das, a former state party chief.as the state BJP president.

It is well circulated facts in the state political circle here that Ravindra Rai's name for the party's state president was recommended by the former chief minister Arjun Munda soon after submitting his resignation from BJP legislature party leader direct to BJP president Rajnath Singh. Arjun Munda's political career had started in1980s with Jharkhand movement launched by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) which fought for a separate state with the southern area of undivided Bihar .In 1995 Munda was elected to the Bihar Assembly, representing Kharswan constituency of Singhbhum.He retained the seat also in 2000 and 2005 elections. Resigning from JMM ,he joined BJP in December,1999 and became the minister in the Babulal Marandi led government in 2000..Former chief minister Arjun Munda had been entangled with serious differences with the senior BJP leaders like late Kailashpati Mishra, Karia Munda and Yashwant Sinha.

His relation with the second line BJP leaders in the state, Raghubir Das and Sarayu Roy is also not good.

Despite the internal differences with the state party over selection of the state unit chief, the BJP central party leadership selected Arjun Munda's candidate Ravindra Rai as the BJP chief in Jharkhand.