The BJP's legislature party will meet on Friday to choose a new leader before the party stakes claim to form its fifth and the 10th government of Jharkhand.
"BJP observers J P Nadda and Vinay Sahastrabuddhe have arrived here. The legislature party meeting will begin around 11 am tomorrow," party's state unit spokesman Prem Mittal said in Ranchi on Thursday. Party's another spokesman Ajay Maroo said apart from the two observers, BJP's in-charge for Jharkhand Trivendra Singh Rawat, state unit president Ravindra Rai and former chief minister Arjun Munda would also attend the meeting.
After the meeting and further consultations with the newly elected MLAs, the observers would apprise the party's national leadership of the details, he said. Meanwhile, front-runners for the post of chief minister, Raghuvar Das and Saryu Roy, said that the top party leadership's decision would be accepted by all. "Jo bhi bichar sirsa netritva lenge o sarva manya hoga (whatever decision the party's senior leadership takes will be adhered to by all)," Das, the BJP's vice president, told PTI when asked whether he considered himself as a candidate for the top job.
Replying to the same query, another aspirant Roy said, "It was decided that the elections in Jharkhand also would be held under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So whatever the high command decides will prevail and accepted by all." If the party decides to choose a non-tribal for the top post it would for the first time in Jharkhand, which has seen chief ministers only from the tribal community.
The BJP itself had two tribal chief ministers in the past---Babulal Marandi (once) and Arjun Munda (thrice). JMM leaders Shibu Soren (thrice), Hemant Soren (once) and Madhu Koda (once) are the other tribal leaders who had been the chief ministers since the state's creation 14 years ago. The BJP/Ajsu alliance got a majority, winning 42 out of 81 MLAs in the just concluded assembly elections. PVR SB RCJ
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