By IANS,
Ranchi : The political crisis in Jharkhand moved to the national capital for a resolution Friday with Chief Minister Madhu Koda leaving for New Delhi to meet leaders of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) — and aspirant to the post Shibu Soren already camping in the city.
“I am hopeful that the UPA leaders will understand my point of view. I have worked for the development of the state,” Koda told reporters before leaving for New Delhi on a special plane with Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi.
“There is no need to change the leadership in the state,” Marandi added.
On Thursday, the central leadership of the UPA met at Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence. Among those who attended the meeting were Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Soren, who is laying claim to the chief minister’s post after he bailed out the Manmohan Singh government in the July trust vote with his five Lok Sabha MPs, and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.
According to political sources here, the UPA leadership is likely to convince Koda, an independent legislator, to quit in favour of Soren to avert any crisis. However, Koda is determined to face a trust vote Aug 25 on the floor of the state assembly.
The 23-month-old Koda government was reduced to a minority Sunday after the JMM withdrew support. In the 82-member house, Koda now has the support of only 25 legislators.