Ranchi: Prospects of a BJP-led Government
in Jharkhand with JMM brightened today with Governor M O H
Farooq writing to the Centre recommending lifting of the
three-month-old President's rule in the state.
The Jharkhand Governor, who spoke to Home Minister P
Chidambaram, sent his report to the Centre tonight
recommending revocation of Central rule in the state, hours
after newly-elected BJP legislative party Arjun Munda staked
claim to form the government, submitting a listof 45 MLAs in
the 81-member house and parading 44 of them at the Raj Bhavan.
The other legislator belonging to the JMM, Poulus
Surin, is in judicial custody.
Earlier, in the day, JMM offered 'unconditional'
support to the BJP after which its Legislature Party elected
Munda as its leader.
The two parties are coming together after a gap of
three months when BJP parted ways with the JMM.
President's Rule was imposed on June one with the
assembly being kept under suspended animation since party had
come forward to form the government following Chief Minister
Shibu Soren's resignation on May 30.
"We have given a list of 45 MLAs to the governor
requesting him to invite Arjun Munda to form the new
government. The governor said he would look into it and inform
us," BJP's state unit president Raghuvar Das told reporters
after meeting Farooq.
Das handed over the list to the governor in the
presence of 42-year-old Munda, also the party's national
general secretary who took over as CLP chief after incumbent
Das quit the post on the direction of BJP chief Nitin Gadkari.
In the list submitted to Farooq, there were 18 MLAs
each of BJP and JMM, two from JDU, five from AJSU and two
Independent MLAs -- Chamra Linda and Bidesh Singh.
"JMM has extended unconditional support to BJP's
initiatives to form a government," JMM spokesman Suprio
Bhattacharya said.
Besides Munda and Das, AJSU president Sudesh Mahto and
JMM leader Hemant Soren, son of the JMM chief, were present at
the Raj Bhavan.
AJSU's vice-president Praveen Prabhakar said his
five-member legislature party has extended full support to the
BJP's initiative.
In Delhi, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram briefed
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia
Gandhi on the developments in the state and the options before
the UPA.
The meeting was also attended by Union Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony and Law
Minister M. Veerappa Moily.
Congress has 14 MLAs and its ally JVMP 11.
Hemant Soren on BJP-led govt
Meanwhile,the JMM today
promised that it would ensure the new BJP-led state government
complete its full tenure following the bitter experience on
three previous occasions.
"The new government will definitely complete its
tenure with the support of the JMM, the AJSU party, the JDU
and two independent MLAs," JMM-LP leader Hemant Soren told
newsmen here.
JMM President Shibu Soren had become Chief Minister
thrice, but on each occasion had to resign -- twice for
failing to muster numbers and once for losing a bypoll to
enter the House.
If the President's rule is revoked following Governor
M O H Farooq's recommendation, a BJP-led coalition will form
the government for the fourth time in Jharkhand.
Earlier in the day, BJP's general secretary Arjun
Munda staked claim while handing over a list of 45 MLAs in the
81-member House to the Governor.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 23:50