Congress, JMM seal seat deal with Hemant Soren as Jharkhand CM face

RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will contest on 43 seats in the assembly election while Congress, its junior partner in the mahagathbandhan, will field candidates in 31 constituencies, senior leaders of the two parties announced in a joint press conference in Ranchi on Friday. The alliance also said that JMM working president Hemant Soren will be their chief ministerial face for the polls."Months of wait comes to an end today. JMM, Congress and RJD will contest on 43:31:7 formula for the 81 seats. JMM working president Hemant Soren, also a former CM, will be our chief ministerial candidate," the leaders said in a joint statement.
However, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which has been left with just seven seats, is sulking and stayed away from the press conference addressed by JMM working president Hemant Soren and state Congress chief Rameshwar Oraon, the party's Jharkhand in-charge RPN Singh, and legislative party leader Alamgir Alam. While JMM and Congress said the formula was chalked with everyone's consent, RJD's absence from the press conference raised many questions.
Naming the 13 seats that the parties will contest in the first phase of the election on November 30, Singh said, "JMM will field its candidates in four seats - Gumla, Bishunpur, Garhwa, and Latehar. Congress will contest on six - Lohardaga, Bhawnathpur, Manika, Panki, Daltonganj and Bishrampur. We have left Chatra, Chattarpur and Hussainabad for RJD."
While Congress and JMM will decide which parties contest the remaining seats in a phased matter, they said the seven seats given to RJD are Deoghar, Godda, Koderma, Chatra, Barkatha, Chattarpur and Hussainabad, of which three will go to polls in first phase. Soon after the announcement, some Congress leaders from Barkatha staged a protest in front of senior leaders for giving the seat to RJD.