Other States - Jharkand   

Star campaigners in Jharkhand

Dhanbad: With just two days to go for the curtains to draw on the campaigning for the first phase of Assembly polls in Jharkhand, which begins on November 25, political parties are moving their election machinery in top gear.

As star campaigners of all major political parties criss-cross 24 of the total 81 Assembly segments in Jharkhand where first phase of polling is scheduled. Campaigning has reached a feverish pitch in places like Dumka, coal belt of Dhanbad, steel city of Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Godda, Deogarh and Jamtara. If the Congress has stormed the election scene with its party president Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken addressing well-attended public meetings in Dumka, Dhanbad and other places in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party is utilising the services of its chief Rajnath Singh, senior leader L.K. Advani and Janata Dal (United) is relying upon Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati is also touring the State to drum up support for her party. CPI (M) Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat has addressed public meetings, focusing on problems like lack of development and unemployment. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is banking heavily on former Chief Minister Shibu Soren to tilt the scales in its favour. All the parties have already released their manifestos with Congress and the BJP promising to provide cheap food grains to the poor.

While Ms. Sonia Gandhi has assured the people in the coal belt of Jharia-Dhanbad of putting in place a rehabilitation policy for the workers in coal mines, Mr. Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised to take development programmes down to the grass roots, stressing that his party’s “India Shining” would focus on participation of rural folks, underprivileged and tribals.

Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken, who was also in charge of party affairs in Jharkhand till recently, addressing public meetings in Jugsalai (reserve), Jamshedpur (West), Dhanbad and Jharia on Saturday, sought to make corruption a big issue in the polls. Without naming former Chief Minister Madhu Koda who is facing the heat of Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate probe in multi-crore rupee scams, he pointed out that it was the Congress which had given a 19-point programme to the then Koda government and organised protests and demonstrations against allegations of corruption and non-performance.

“Though the Congress had supported Koda Ministry which lasted for about two years, the party had never given up its fight against corruption. I assure you that the flight of money from Jharkhand will be checked by the Central government and the State’s funds will be utilised for development of the people here,” Mr. Maken said. The Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha. While the Congress has put up candidates on 62 seats, JVM is contesting 19.

Criticising the BJP, Mr. Maken said, the party which ruled Jharkhand for nearly eight years since its formation in 2000 was responsible for all the ills plaguing the State. “The BJP did nothing to check corruption in high places and paid absolutely no attention to development programmes and tribal welfare which resulted in Naxals extending their influence in 18 of the 24 districts,” he alleged.

With five Chief Ministers coming to the helm of affairs in Jharkhand over the past nine years, political instability is also a key issue which the Congress leaders are raising in their election meetings, asking the people to give the party a maiden opportunity to form a government in the State. The five-phase elections in the State concludes on December 18.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Star campaigners in Jharkhand

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu