Tejashwi has no brand value, says Himanta over INDIA bloc seat sharing in Jharkhand

RANCHI: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has "no brand value" in the INDIA bloc as he "failed" to get adequate seats for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls despite "visiting CM Hemant Soren's residence thrice", alleged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma commented on Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav, saying, "Tejashwi Yadav has no brand value. He stands exposed before the masses of Bihar. He went thrice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's home (for seats) but (there are) no results."

Sarma, who is also the BJP's election co-in-charge for Jharkhand, accused the ruling JMM of lacking candidates for the polls.

Several BJP leaders have recently joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand. This political move comes amidst seat-sharing tensions in the INDIA bloc alliance.

There have been issues among the INDIA bloc partners over seat allotment in Jharkhand, with the RJD expressing displeasure at the JMM and Congress's decision to contest 70 out of 81 seats. The RJD labeled this decision as "unilateral" and stated that "all options were open" for them. They claimed to have identified "at least 15 to 18 seats" in Jharkhand where they believe they can defeat the BJP independently.

In the previous election, the RJD contested in seven seats, finishing as runner-up in five.

Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, and the counting will take place on November 23. Around 2.60 crore people are eligible to vote.

Regarding the BJP leaders who joined JMM, Sarma remarked that Hemant Soren's party lacks enough candidates. He stated, "If the JMM or Hemant Soren wants our people, we can send them."

Among those who joined JMM are ex-MLAs Lois Marandi, Kunal Sarangi, Lakshman Tudu, and three-term legislator Kedar Hazra. AJSU Party's Umakant Rajak also switched to JMM recently.

In the 2019 elections, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats and took power from the BJP, which had secured 25 seats.

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