BJP partners with AISU in Jharkhand

In a significant political move towards setting a firm foot in Jharkhand, BJP on Monday formed a pre-poll coalition with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) for the upcoming assembly polls scheduled on 25 November by giving eight seats to its new partner out of 81 assembly seats in the state.

BJP general secretary Bhupinder Yadav, who is also in-charge of the party’s Jharkhand affairs, said, ‘A meeting was held between AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto and BJP president Amit Shah and both sides have decided to form an alliance.’

In 2004, AJSU had an alliance with the BJP but it was called off a year later and soon after had an alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party. Now after nine years, AJSU once again is forming an alliance with the BJP in an attempt to dent the citadel of state chief minister Hemant Soren of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Yadav said, ‘Our party has decided to tie up with like-minded parties in Jharkhand and will contest the upcoming assembly polls with AJSU.’

On Sunday, BJP in its list of candidates had not announced names for five constituencies, which AJSU had won in the last elections, though it had declared its candidate for Hatia assembly seat, the 6th AJSU seat. AJSU has six MLAs in the outgoing assembly.