Former JMM Secretary Akeel Akhtar joins AJSU

Former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Central Committee secretary Akeel Akhtar on Wednesday joined the AJSU party, two days after resigning from the primary membership of the JMM.

AJSU party president and former deputy chief minister Sudesh Kumar Mahto welcomed Akhtar at the party's "Milan Samaroh" here.

On November 11, Akhtar had sent his resignation letter to JMM president Shibu Soren.

Akhtars decision to quit the JMM comes days after the Pakur seat was given to the Congress as per the seat-sharing adjustments among the opposition alliance comprising the JMM, Congress and RJD.

Akhtar had defeated Congress candidate Alamgir Alam in the Pakur seat in the 2009 Assembly elections but he lost to the Congress leader in the 2014 polls.

The Congress has re-nominated Alamgir Alam from Pakur constituency this time also.

Meanwhile, JMM general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey issued a statement saying Akhtar and three other leaders were removed from all party posts and expelled from the party for six years on disciplinary grounds.

"Based on reports in media and other platforms, Akeel Akhtar (Central Committee Secretary), Saroj Lakra (Central Committee Member), Nirmala Bharati (Central Committee Member) and Ranthu Oraon (Lohardaga district secretary) have been removed from all posts and expelled for six years for acting contrary to the partys decisions," the statement said.

The BJP chief whip Radhakrishna Kishore miffed at being denied renomination by the party from Chhatarpur(SC) seat in the coming state assembly election, had joined the AJSU, a regional party and an NDA ally, on Tuesday.

Mahto had on Tuesday said that the party's Parliamentary Board will decide upon the seat allocations.

Jharkhand is going for elections in five phases between November 30 and December 20.

Counting will take place on December 23.