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JMM to contest 56 LS seats

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will contest in 56 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Assam in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Announcing the first list of the party's candidates for 22 Lok Sabha seats, which was cleared by the Morcha's central committee yesterday, JMM President Shibu Soren today said that the party would go alone, fighting on the issue of a separate Jharkhand state. He said the Morcha would contest 17 seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, 21 seats in Orissa and the lone Kokrajhar seat of Assam.

Describing the Congress as traitorous, he said its proposed alliance with the "anti-Jharkhand" Rashtriya Janata Dal had exposed its "real concern" for this regional cause.

The JMM supremo said the Morcha's nominees for the remaining 34 constituencies would be cleared in a couple of days. The party leaders will meet again tomorrow to finalise the list, he added. The Morcha has in principle decided to leave the Khunti (ST), Hazaribagh and Giridih Lok Sabha seats in south Bihar to Jharkhand party president N E Horo, JMM (Ulgulan) legislators Tek Lal Mahato and Shiva Mahato respectively if they were willing to contest on the Morcha's symbol, the bow and arrow.

Hinting that he might not contest the coming polls, Soren said that the party nominee for his home constituency, Dumka (ST), would also be cleared in a day or so.

Calling upon Jharkhandi voters to stand up against the forces opposed to creation of the state, he iterated his call to different Jharkhand parties to merge with the Morcha and contest the coming elections together to check the division of votes.

The nominees announced for the nine of the 17 Lok Sabha seats the JMM has decided to contest in Bihar include party vice-president and Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council vice-chairman Suraj Mandal from Godda, party's chief spokesperson Simon Marandi from Rajmahal (ST) legislators Champai Soren from Singhbhum and Bishnu Bhagat from Lohardagga constituency.

Former state minister Puran Chand will contest from the Chatra seat and the party's central committee secretary Sunil Kumar Mahato has been given the prestigious Jamshedpur seat. Ganesh Ram Bhuiyan will contest the Palamau (SC) seat while Ashok Sah has been fielded for the Purnea Lok Sabha seat and Santosh Singh for the Banka parliamentary constituency.

The JMM also announced its nominees for 13 seats of West Bengal. They are Suryanarayan Mahato (Purulia), Baghambar Mahato (Bankura), Budharai Kishu (Malda), Bablu Bari Dhan (Panskura), Rupkumari Piri (Midnapore), Ahindranath Choudhary (Bishnupur), Praful Kumar Mandal (Durgapur), Ajit Soren (Asansol) Chandru Oroan (Bardwan), S K Lutfar Rehan (Katwa), Nava Kumar Dholi (Birbhum) Paresh Burman (Balurghat) and Biren Rai (Raiganj). JMM (S) had earlier announced its decision to contest 17 seats in Bihar, 15 in West Bengal, six in Orissa and the Kokrajhar seat of Assam.

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