The Hindu : New Delhi News : Soren pressing hard to be Jharkhand Chief Minister

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Soren pressing hard to be Jharkhand Chief Minister

RJD chief Lalu Prasad holds the key to the issue

Lalu wields considerable influence with present CM Madhu Koda who is seen as his protege
Congress has no objection to Soren’s demand if he convinces it of the majority support

New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad appears to be holding the key to the issue of Jharkhand Chief Ministership as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha president Shibu Soren is pressing hard for the top slot in the State replacing incumbent Madhu Koda.

Though RJD has only seven MLAs in the 81-member State Assembly, which is a hung house, Mr. Prasad wields considerable influence with Mr. Koda, an independent MLA being seen as his ‘protégé.’

JMM sources say that Mr. Prasad could make or mar Mr. Soren’s prospects. Party general secretary Hem Lal Murmu said that the JMM leaders would meet Mr. Prasad but declined to specify the issues they will discuss. Party sources revealed that so far they have not succeeded in meeting Mr. Prasad, as the Railway Minister could not find time due to an illness in his family.

JMM leaders on Friday however held secret deliberations with other RJD leaders on the issue. The party has also roped in independent ministers in the State, as they form an influential block.

Mr. Murmu however refused to speak on the party’s stand arguing that they are still busy in discussing important things.

Series of meetings

Earlier the JMM leaders held a number of meetings with senior Congress leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over the matter.

Congress is learnt to have told Mr. Soren that it has no objection to his demand for Chief Ministership, but he will have to convince it of the majority support.

Earlier the Congress experiment to support Mr. Soren as Chief Minister turned out to be a flop show, with the tribal leader forced to bow out of office in a week following failure to prove majority.

A section of RJD and Congress leaders in the State are however not quite willing for a change of guard.

In the hung Assembly of Jharkhand which has 81 seats, JMM has 17 seats, Congress nine including the speaker and RJD seven. -- PTI

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