Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren is upbeat about the party's chances in the upcoming Jharkhand polls. He claims that at least a dozen MLAs and MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are looking to jump ship and are in touch with him regarding the same.
In an interview with News18 the former Chief Minister said," ...people are dying of hunger, youths don't have jobs, people don't have money, banks are collapsing, infrastructure is nowhere. In all major indices, from hunger to education, Jharkhand has slipped under BJP Chief Minister Raghubar Das' tenure. Since the state of Jharkhand was created, the last five years have been the worst, by far."
Soren stated that the BJP's Jharkhand unit is in "a state of collapse" with rampant infighting and "pandemonium in the ranks".
"Because of the arrogance of their top leadership, their old hands, who feel slighted, are trying to find a way out," he told News18.
He also reiterated that he is the CM face of the Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal-JMM alliance.
"Congress leader RPN Singh has clearly stated that Hemant Soren will be the CM face of the alliance," he said during the interview, adding that the BJP should clarify who their CM face is.
Talking about the Election Commision's decision to conduct the polls over 5 phases, Soren added that it is a "huge challenge" for a state level political organisation with limited resources.
"While as a political outfit we respect the decisions of the EC, to be honest, I don't understand the logic of having the elections in five phases," he was quoted as saying.
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