Thaindian News

Ranchi, May 16 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Sunday held talks to discuss formation of new government in the state, which is likely to be headed by former chief minister Arjun Munda, party sources here said.

BJP national general secretary Munda, who is a Lok Sabha member from Jamshedpur, arrived in Ranchi Sunday from New Delhi. In the afternoon he held a meeting with Chief Minister and JMM chief Shibu Soren and his legislator son Hemant Soren.

The meeting took place at Shibu Soren’s residence and lasted for nearly 45 minutes.

Both party leaders are tight-lipped about the meeting. After meeting with Munda, the JMM also held an internal meeting on the BJP proposal. It is believed that Munda conveyed to Shibu Soren the BJP stand on formation of the government.

According to party sources, Munda discussed the issues which created a stalemate between the two parties.

The JMM insists that the BJP should share power with it in rotation for 28 months each. Besides, the JMM wants at least five ministers from its party and the post of the assembly speaker.

After returning from New Delhi, Munda told reporters at the Ranchi airport: “We will hold a meeting with both the JMM and another alliance partner, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). We hope the state will soon get a government.”

BJP president Nitin Gadkari has authorised Munda to hold parleys with the JMM and AJSU leaders. According to BJP sources, Munda is the first choice as chief minister.

The BJP has kept its chief minister nominee announcement on hold till the JMM and the AJSU agree to accept Munda as chief minister and extend support to the BJP for formation of a new government.

Since April 28, Jharkhand is in the midst of a political crisis, sparked off by Shibu Soren’s vote against the BJP’s cut motions in the Lok Sabha. That vote led the BJP, a junior partner in the ruling coalition in the state, to withdraw legislative support to the ruling JMM.