Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi
Credit: PTI Photo
Ranchi: The BJP on Thursday appointed Dhanwar MLA Babulal Marandi as its legislative party leader in the Jharkhand Assembly.
During a meeting here, Marandi, also the party's state president, was unanimously chosen as the BJP legislative party leader.
The BJP parliamentary board on Wednesday announced two central observers -- Union Forest and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and the party's OBC Morcha national president K Laxman -- for the election of the leader of the BJP legislative party in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Yadav said senior MLAs such as Naveen Jaiswal, Neera Yadav, Raj Sinha and Prakash Ram proposed the name of Marandi as the leader of the legislative party during the meeting, and it was unanimously approved by all.
"Under the leadership of Marandi in the state assembly, legislators will be working for the benefit of Jharkhand and its people," he told reporters.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Marandi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the party's national president J P Nadda for the responsibility he was given.
"I will be working 24x7 with full dedication to strengthening the organisation and will make all efforts to take everyone together inside and outside the assembly," he said.
He alleged that the Speaker had deliberately delayed the matter of the leader of the opposition in the previous assembly, despite the name being recommended by the party.
"But our legislators kept fighting the government both inside and outside the assembly," he said.
Marandi said they would continue the fight for the interest of the state and its people.
"We will also look to address the flaws which resulted in the defeat of the party (in the assembly elections last year)," he said.
The legislators will now submit a letter to the office of Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato regarding the election of Marandi as the leader of the BJP legislative party following which the party president will be announced as the leader of the opposition in the 81-member House, a senior party leader said.
In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling INDIA bloc has 56 MLAs -- JMM 34, Congress 16, RJD four and CPI (ML) Liberation two. The BJP has 21 members, and AJSU Party, JD(U) and LJP (RV) and JLKM one each.