New Delhi, March 21
The much-awaited alliance between the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the major Opposition party in Jharkhand, was finalised today giving a new turn to the ongoing politics in the tribal state where 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats are currently held by the BJP.

JMM President Shibu Soren met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence this forenoon to ink the electoral pact between the two parties. Mr Soren was accompanied by his party Vice-President Mukti Nath Upadhayya and Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Stephen Marandi.

The Congress has two Lok Sabha seats while the JMM has one and their coming together in this recently-carved state, where the RJD has already announced to remain with the secular forces, gives the Opposition a formidable strength against the ruling NDA. The last Lok Sabha elections were fought individually by the Congress and the JMM.

A series of talks were held between the two parties in the last over one month for unitedly contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand against the BJP-led NDA. However, nothing tangible had transpired following the JMM’s demand to contest the two seats in Jharkhand which were held by the Congress in the 13th Lok Sabha.

According to Mr Upadhayya, electoral agreement was reached between the two secular forces after a two-day meeting which ended this forenoon. It was agreed that they would unitedly fight the saffron brigade on all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

He said under the agreement, the JMM had decided to contest three Lok Sabha seats — Jamshedpur, Dumka and Giridih, the Congress would contest nine seats while both would enter into a friendly contest in Rajmahal and Koderma seats where the ground realities were different.

Ms Gandhi cleared the proposal when she was made aware of the ground realities in Jharkhand, particularly Rajmahal and Koderma, Mr Upadhayya said, adding that the JMM was also contesting Mayurbhanj seat of Orissa in alliance with the Congress.