Jharkhand crisis ends; BJP to head new govt

Weeks of political crisis in Jharkhand on Tuesday seemed to be inching towards an end. The BJP, JMM and All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU), the three key constituents in ruling coalition, came together on one platform and announced to install the next government headed by the BJP in the state.

The coalition partners agreed to share the power on rotation for 28 months each during the remainder of the term of the House, which is to end in December 2015. A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting attended by Chief Minister Shibu Soren, AJSU president and Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto, former chief minister Arjun Munda and BJP national vice-president Karuna Shukla among others.

Addressing a joint press conference, BJP national general secretary Arjun Munda said the BJP-JMM-AJSU coalition would remain in power as a consensus over the formation of next government had been reached.

“According to an arrangement agreed upon by the coalition partners, both BJP and JMM would share the power on rotation for 28 months each. The first 28 months would be headed BJP,” said Munda, who is tipped to be the next chief minister. “The power transfer would be made shortly,” said Soren, corroborating Munda’s statement.

BJP national vice-president and in-charge of state affairs Karuna Shukla said, “the power would be transferred by May 25 in all likelihood.”

The development came hours after the BJP central leadership set deadline for the ideologically-divided JMM camp to support a BJP-led government or face the withdrawal of support by Wednesday. Curiously, Munda who was assigned by the party central leadership to hold parleys with JMM, was trying his best to get the JMM on board to hammer out an amicable solution to the 21-day political crisis facing the state government, but Shibu Soren was proving to be a tough cookie.