Ranchi: Congress has been planning to contest the 2014 assembly polls alone in Jharkhand, days after pre-poll ally Jharkhand Vikas (Morcha) withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh government.
"The party is planning to contest the elections on its own in Jharkhand and all our party workers are ready for it," AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
Ahmed`s statement comes after JVM pulled out its support to the UPA government at the Centre.
He was here to attend the PCC`s extended executive meeting in which party workers gave written suggestions in closed envelopes.
Earlier, PCC chief and Rajya Sabha member Pradeep Kumar Balmachu said the party had not decided on poll tie up for the 2014 elections, but stated that the party was readying to contest all the 81 seats.
On Babulal Marandi`s JVM pulling out of the alliance, "(JVM chief) Babulal Marandi had assessed that he would get three to four seats in the 2009 assembly elections, but was surprised to win 11. This was because of the pre-poll alliance with the Congress."
The votes of the Congress, which had won 14 seats, were transferred to the JVM, Balmachu claimed.
"Many of our leaders and workers did not like the idea of a pre-poll alliance with the JVM in 2009," Balmachu said.
Reacting to Marandi`s statement that there was no difference between the Congress and the BJP, he said when Marandi had been unable to remain in the BJP which had made him the chief minister how was it possible for him to ally with any other party.
The two-MP JVM on Monday withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh government.
PTI
