New Delhi:
Ahead of Assembly elections, an internal rift has rocked the Jharkhand BJP after senior leader and state minister Saryu Roy on Sunday announced to contest the polls against Chief Minister Raghibar Das as an independent. Fumed about his name not featuring in the list of 72 candidates announced so far by the BJP, Roy has sent his resignation as a minister in Raghubar Das Cabinet to Governor Droupadi Murmu.
He said he will contest the elections from both Jamshedpur (East) and Jamshedpur (West) Assembly constituencies. Roy was the Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister in the Jharkhand Cabinet.
"I will file my nomination papers from both the Assembly constituencies tomorrow (Monday)," he said. Roy’s move comes in the wake of his name not finding a place in the first four lists of 72 candidates declared by the BJP for the 81-member Assembly in Jharkhand, which is going to polls in five phases between November 30 and December 20.
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Asked if he was taking on his own party by deciding to contest against the chief minister, he said, "Let the BJP take action against me." The BJP has re-nominated Das from the Jamshedpur (East) seat, while it is yet to announce its candidate from Jamshedpur (West). The two seats will go to polls in the second phase on December 7 and the last date of filing papers is Monday.
To another query on whether contesting elections from two seats would be a tall order, Roy said, "Not at all. The geography of the city (Jamshedpur), its people and issues are the same. My supporters will campaign from my home constituency, while I will concentrate on Jamshedpur (East)."
