Jharkhand CM's Delhi visits trigger speculations of possible shake-up in ruling alliance

Ranchi, Dec 3 (PTI) Amidst what are being termed "strained" ties between alliance partners JMM, RJD and Congress, and Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Delhi visits, speculation of a political shake-up in Jharkhand’s ruling coalition has intensified.

Rumours, which first surfaced when then JMM supremo Shibu Soren was hospitalised in Delhi and several senior BJP leaders visited him, have gained momentum following the chief minister and his legislator-wife Kalpana Soren spending long periods in the national capital and their purported meetings with BJP leaders.

Earlier, during the Bihar elections, the JMM had announced it would not contest any seat there, alleging a "political conspiracy" by its allies RJD and Congress that denied the party representation in the Mahagathbandhan seat-sharing arrangement. The party had also said it would review its role in the INDIA bloc.

Weeks after signalling this review, political suspense has deepened in Jharkhand, particularly with the chief minister and his wife staying in Delhi since November 28. Both returned on Wednesday evening, days ahead of the winter session of the Assembly beginning December 5.

However, both the JMM and Congress have rubbished the claims of a possible shake-up and termed such claims as rumours.

"There is no truth in this matter (political shake-up)," Congress legislator and state Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore said.

"INDIA bloc has 56 seats… Not getting a seat in Bihar elections is too trivial… we are reviewing it," he said, rejecting claims that fiscal distress was driving the need for political realignment.

Another Congress legislator and Minister Dipika Padney Singh said: "The speculations are absolutely wrong. BJP is trying to spread rumours. The CM preferred to go to jail rather than bow before the BJP. The state's people gave a strong and one-sided mandate to the alliance, which is going to govern the state with firmness." Former Jharkhand state president Rajesh Thakur blamed the BJP for rumours.

“"The CM, who was behind bars for six months before elections, got a resounding victory… Why would he side with BJP?” Thakur said.

Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh said the alliance was intact.

"Everything is fine in the Mahagathbandhan. Alliance partners are united… this government will complete its full term," he asserted.

On Soren’s Delhi trip, he said it was related to "pending central funds" and the state’s development.

The JMM maintained the visit was for "family medical reasons", while party insiders said the CM also consulted lawyers in connection with ED-related cases.

JMM spokesperson and former MLA Kunal Sarangi dismissed the reports, saying, "Jharkhand did not bow, and it will not do so." Speculation was fuelled further by claims that the Sorens met a senior BJP leader in Delhi, alongside Governor Santosh Gangwar’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The JMM’s discontent with the Congress and RJD has been simmering since it was denied even one seat in the Bihar polls despite top-level negotiations.

The party had publicly sought a review of the Mahagathbandhan, though the partners later attempted to downplay the discord.

Political analysts say numbers in the 81-member Assembly continue to drive speculation.

With 34 MLAs, the JMM is seven short of a majority. The Congress has 16 MLAs, and it is being speculated that some might switch sides as part of a "Congress-minus, BJP-supported" government led by Soren — though such a scenario would require at least 11 Congress MLAs to defect to avoid disqualification.

Many JMM leaders have rejected this possibility outright, calling it speculations allegedly spread by the BJP.

The BJP, for its part, has denied any alliance prospects, accusing the Soren government of being "steeped in corruption".

Senior observers say the BJP may not seek formal power-sharing but could consider "outside support" if the Congress weakens.

However, analysts caution that any move towards the BJP carries significant political risk for Hemant Soren, whose support among tribal voters has strengthened since his arrest by the ED and subsequent return to power. PTI NAM MNB