JMM fights for majority in Assembly

Barely a little over 12 hours are left for the Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) to display its majority strength in the Jharkhand Assembly where the crucial voting will take place for the existence of the JMM-Congress-Rashtrya Janata Dal (RJD) led coalition government in Jharkhand that came to power on last Saturday.

The JMM, Congress, RJD MLAs held hectic discussions separately with their leaders of the state legislature in the state capital many times till late in the evening JMM supremo Shibu Soren (father of chief minister), also held talks at his Ranchi residence with the JMMM MLAs and directed them the strategy to be taken during crucial voting of tomorrow.

The Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) state president Ravindra Rai today issued whip to its party MLAs to attend the Assembly to resist majority test of the Hemant Soren's government in the Assembly. Baidyanath Ram, former education minister in the BJP-led coalition government in Jharkhand who was suspended by the state BJP president recently from the party's primary membership on bigamy charges following reports in a section of media told reporters today that he had earlier requested the state party president to withdraw his suspension order, but the state president refused to withdraw it. Now he would act according to his sweet will. BJP state president Ravinrra Rai told media this evening that Baidyanath Ram must adhere to party's whip and cast his vote in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the present state Assembly Speaker C P Singh (BJP) today again categorically told media that he would not step down from the post of the Speaker. Political observers feel that refusal of the Speaker to step down may lead to a bizarre like situation in tomorrow's Assembly session.

However, Speaker C P today today attended his office in the Assembly and directed the assembly staff to make all arrangements to function the session smoothly.