Weeks before polls, Jharkhand Congress working prez Manas Sinha defects to BJP

Jharkhand BJP’s working president Ravindra Ray inducted Sinha into the party in the presence of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the party’s co-in-charge for the state.

Sinha said he gave blood, sweat and tears to the Congress for 27 years but was now convinced that it has no respect for the party workers. “I am joining the BJP inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am joining the BJP unconditionally,” said Sinha.

Sarma said has was with the Congress for 22 years and was aware of the situation in the party. “We will now work together to ensure the victory of the party [BJP].”

Sinha was a claimant for the Congress’s ticket from Garhwa district’s Bhawnathpur seat, which was allocated to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) as part of the ruling Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)’s seat-sharing pact.

Bhawnathpur has been a Congress stronghold with the party winning the seat seven times. Bhanu Partap Shahi, who joined the BJP in 2019, represents the seat. He is contesting against former Congress legislator Anant Pratap Deo, who is now with the JMM.

The election for the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20. The ruling alliance won 47 seats and formed the government in 2019.

The BJP hopes to keep up the momentum of the unexpected victory in Haryana this month even as exit polls predicted Congress’s win. It emerged as the biggest party in the Lok Sabha elections this summer In Jharkhand by winning eight of the 14 seats. The JMM bagged three, and ally Congress two Lok Sabha seats. The AJSU Party won the remaining Lok Sabha seat.

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