Ready for ‘Ghar wapsi’, Babulal Marandi to rejoin BJP on February 17

The first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi, who left the BJP around 14 years ago to form his own outfit Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), will re-join his parent organisation on February 17. The formal joining will take place in the presence of BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a glittering function in Ranchi on Monday.

The ‘ghar wapsi’ of Marandi will be beneficial for both the camps. While it will help rehabilitate Marandi, it will also shore up BJP’s strength. The BJP had been looking for a prominent tribal face in Jharkhand ever since former CM Arjun Munda became a Union Minister in Modi Cabinet. Its non-tribal chief minister Raghubar Das (2014-19) was booted out of power in December last after he tried to drive a wedge between the tribals and the non-tribals.

The BJP, which badly lost Jharkhand Assembly polls two months back against the combined the mite of JMM-Cong-RJD, had been looking for a prominent tribal face which could revive the saffron camp. It was against this backdrop that Marandi was roped in.

“The JVM will formally merge with the BJP on February 17,” said Marandi, whose outfit won three Assembly seats in December 2019 polls, including his own seat from Dhanwar. “The other two MLAs – Pradeep Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey have been expelled from JVM for their anti-party activities,” said Marandi.

Sources in Ranchi said the expelled leaders were in touch with the Congress leadership in New Delhi and could join the grand old party.

BJP sources, however, told Deccan Herald that soon after Marandi joins the BJP, “he could be appointed as Leader of the BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP) and thereby become the Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly”.

Notably, Marandi had pledged unconditional support to the Hemant Soren Government soon after the Jharkhand polls but withdrew it once his ‘ghar wapsi’ looked certain.