INDIA Alliance in Jharkhand Remains Strong, Affirms Congress Leader KC Venugopal
Amidst swirling rumors of political instability and potential realignment in Jharkhand, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal has asserted that the INDIA alliance in the state remains "rock-solid, cohesive, and fully committed". Venugopal's statement comes in response to recent speculation that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, might be considering a switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The rumors gained traction following Chief Minister Soren's extended stay in Delhi with his legislator wife, Kalpana Soren, which began on November 28. Unconfirmed reports suggested that the couple held meetings with senior BJP leaders, fueling speculation about a possible shift in alliances.
To address these concerns, KC Venugopal, a Lok Sabha MP and Congress General Secretary, spoke directly with Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday. Following the conversation, Venugopal took to social media platform X to express his confidence in the stability of the INDIA alliance. "Let there be no doubts – our INDIA alliance in Jharkhand is rock-solid, cohesive, and fully committed to advancing people-centric welfare policies that reflect the aspirations of every citizen of Jharkhand," he stated.
Venugopal further dismissed the rumors as a deliberate attempt to destabilize the alliance by "right-wing troll networks," attributing the speculation to the BJP's growing "desperation and political insecurity". He added that such tactics would not succeed in eroding the trust the people of Jharkhand have placed in the alliance. "The malicious narrative and coordinated rumour mongering being propagated by right-wing troll networks are but signs of their growing desperation and political insecurity," he wrote. "We are not affected by such cheap trolling, and they can never dilute the trust that the people have placed in us. Our unity is intact, our purpose is clear, and our alliance remains stronger than ever".
Ministers in the Jharkhand state cabinet have also dismissed the rumors, asserting that there is no threat to the INDIA bloc government. Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh called the speculations baseless.
In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the JMM currently holds 34 seats,. The Congress has 16 MLAs, and some political analysts have speculated that a few might be tempted to switch sides. However, many JMM leaders have rejected this possibility, accusing the BJP of spreading false information. The BJP, which won 21 seats in the last assembly election, has denied any interest in forming an alliance with the JMM, criticizing the Soren government for alleged corruption.
The JMM-led INDIA bloc secured a decisive victory in the previous assembly elections, winning a total of 56 seats. The JMM won 34 seats, while its allies, including the Congress (16 seats), the RJD (4 seats), and the CPI-ML (2 seats), secured the remaining 22 seats. In contrast, the BJP-led NDA won only 24 seats.
