By IANS
Ranchi : Being thrown out power and losing three Lok Sabha by-elections all within a year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is finding the going tough in Jharkhand with even alliance partner Janata Dal-United (JD-U) doubting its credibility.
“We should review the performance of the alliance and chalk out our future course of action,” said JD-U legislator Radha Krishna Kishore, voicing his party’s concern over the future of the partnership.
In the last one year since September when it lost power in the state, three Lok Sabha and one assembly by-elections have been held. The BJP lost all three parliamentary by-elections, its only consolation being party-backed independent, Inder Singh Namdhari, winning the Daltonganj assembly by-poll.
The party received its first blow in the Koderma Lok Sabha by-election last year when the candidate forfeited his deposit. The seat had fallen vacant after former chief minister Babulal Marandi had quit the party.
In March this year, the BJP came third in the Palamau Lok Sabha by-election.
And last month, the party was trounced in Jamshedpur.
Add to the election results the fact that dissent has intensified and five Marandi supporters have been suspended, and the situation looks grim.
“Infighting in the BJP and its attitude with allies is isolating the party,” said another leader, complaining that the party was not taking the JD-U into confidence and it was not even approached in the Palamau and Jamshedpur by-elections.
The BJP is, however, determinedly looking at the brighter side of the picture.
“The Palamau and Jamshedpur seats have been retained by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. The performance of the party was good in these two elections,” said former chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda.
“We admittedly lost the Koderma by-election, but it does not mean we are out of the contest,” he added optimistically.
State BJP president P.N. Singh said the party was planning a programme against the Madhu Koda government to rejuvenate the workers.
“We will soon launch a rigorous campaign in the state and rejuvenate party workers. We will also launch a stir against the failure of the Madhu Koda government,” Singh said.