: BJP gets busy upsetting political equations in Jharkhand ruling coalition #IndiaNEWS #National,Politics By Shambhu Nath ChoudharyRanchi, July 16 (IANS) After being out of power in Jharkhand following

BJP gets busy upsetting political equations in Jharkhand ruling coalition #IndiaNEWS #National ,Politics
By Shambhu Nath ChoudharyRanchi, July 16 (IANS) After being out of power in Jharkhand following its defeat in the 2019 Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to alter the political equations of the state.
BJPs sharp political moves in recent months have put the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal coalition government, which is ruling Jharkhand for the last two-and-a-half years, under pressure.
It is being widely speculated that after toppling the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra, Jharkhand is the next target of BJPs Operation Lotus mission.
The BJP is trying to deflect the attention of the present Jharkhand government by reaching out to it seeking support for NDA Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu, while on the other hand it is using central investigating agencies like the CBI, ED, Income Tax etc. to instil fear, especially among Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM President Hemant Soren.
In the last 20-25 days, JMM and BJP have adopted a friendly approach towards each other for the Presidential election, but earlier both the parties took political jibes at each other.
This change in approach adopted by the BJP is touted to be a part of Operation Lotus.
On June 27, Hemant Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. After Soren returned to Ranchi, the old political rivalry between the BJP and JMM has almost ended.
In the July 18 Presidential election, JMM has announced that it will support NDAs candidate Draupadi Murmu.
Earlier, the UPA and other opposition parties had called a meeting to decide a joint Opposition Presidential candidate in which several JMM leaders were also present.
JMM founder Shibu Soren has said that it is a matter of pride for the country that Murmu will be the first tribal woman President, so his party has announced to lend support to the NDA in the upcoming Presidential election.
This political move announced by the JMM is a major setback for its Jharkhand ally Congress.
During the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand held in June, the JMM had fielded its candidate while rejecting Congress strong claims of fielding its own candidate on one seat. Within last two months, the Congress has suffered two major political setbacks because of JMMs political moves.
Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur said, JMM lending support to Draupadi Murmu will have no impact on my partys alliance with the JMM in Jharkhand. The JMM-Congress alliance was formed only to run the government in the state, and not for the upcoming Presidential election.
On the other hand, the Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly and BJP member Babulal Marandi said, JMMs decision to support NDAs Presidential candidate is in the interest of the country.