By IANS,
Ranchi : The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand Friday demanded that Governor Syed Sibte Razi impose president’s rule in the state following the defeat of Chief Minister Shibu Soren in a crucial assembly by-poll.
A BJP delegation headed by senior party leader and former chief minister Arjun Munda met the governor Friday afternoon and demanded that president’s rule be imposed and fresh elections held to the state assembly.
“There is no need for any political experiments in the state. In a short span of four years, Jharkhand has witnessed four governments. Imposing president’s rule and holding fresh elections are the only option,” Munda told reporters.
He said, “If Soren does not resign, then his government should be sacked. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is trying to form a fifth government in a short span of four years and it will only promote horse trading in the state.”
Asked about the speculation that the BJP was trying to form a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the state, Munda said: “The BJP is not interested in forming an alternative government in the present political scenario. We want a good political atmosphere. The UPA, particularly the Congress, has vitiated the political atmosphere in the state by doing experiments.”
Jharkhand is facing a political crisis after Chief Minister Shibu Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) lost the election for the Tamar seat by 9,062 votes to Jharkhand Party candidate Raja Peter.
Soren, who took over charge of the state on Aug 27 last year, needed to win the election to remain chief minister to fulfil the constitutional obligation of getting elected to the state legislature within six months. Soren is not a member of the state legislature.
Soren is in New Delhi to discuss the political scenario with central UPA leaders, including Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.