Ranchi: After staying in the shadow of BJP
for nearly three years, former Jharkhand chief minister
Babulal Marandi today emerged as the biggest winner of
assembly elections as his newly-floated Jharkhand Vikas Morcha
(Prajatantric) won 10 seats.
"I stand by my principles ... I have been saying
Congress-JVM-P will emerge as the single largest alliance,"
Marandi told newsmen.
Congress had tied up with JVM(P) for the elections and
the party bettered its showing, moving from nine seats in 2005
to 14 this time.
Marandi, a former national vice-president of BJP and
union minister, besides being the first chief minister of
Jharkhand, was critical of NDA government`s performance
when Arjun Munda was reappointed as chief minister in 2005
after his removal from the top post.
In 2006, he floated JVM-P with five sitting BJP
MLAs Ravindra Rai, Vishnu Bhaiyya, Kunti Devi, Manohar
Tekriwal and Pradeep Yadav throwing their weight behind him.
Barring Pradeep Yadav, all left Marandi after JVM-P`s
debacle in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
While Rai and Devi went back to BJP, Bhaiyya and
Tekriwal joined JMM. Only Devi and Bhaiyya could win their
their seats this time.
PTI
