INDIA bloc, NDA to bank on popular faces in Ghatshila bypoll

Jamshedpur: Both the INDIA bloc and the NDA have prepared lists of popular faces who would campaign for their respective candidates locking horns in the Ghatshila bypoll scheduled on Nov 11.The Congress, JMM and TMC leaders will hold public rallies for JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren after Chhath festival. The Congress list comprises MP Pappu Yadav, party leader Kanhaiya Kumar, state party in-charge, Koppula Raju, besides JMM top brass, including CM Hemant Soren and his MLA wife Kalpana.Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who is presently the Trinamool Congress MP from Purulia in Bengal, is also likely to hold a road show.“The INDIA bloc parties have finalised some names and a few are being discussed upon for the campaigning. Along with JMM and Congress, TMC leaders from Bengal are also expected to join the campaign,” said Baldev Singh Bedi, district in-charge of Congress.The Congress leader said that on Oct 23 a meeting is scheduled in the city wherein the names of the probable leaders for campaigning will be decided in consultation with the alliance partners.

Baldev Singh Bedi, district in-charge of Congress, added that party top brass, including state chief Keshav Mahato Kamlesh, is consulting Soren to pick the names for the joint campaigning.The BJP, on the other hand, is banking on their national leaders and popular tribal leaders of Odisha and Bengal to woo the voters.The party insiders said that Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Union tribal affairs minister, Jual Oram, Central coal and mines minister, G Kishan Reddy are likely to campaign for the party candidate Babulal Soren.Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, party’s Purulia MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato shall also address public rally.“Due to the Bihar assembly election, several of our top party leaders are not in a position to spare time for Ghatsila,” said a senior state party leader.The local unit of the BJP has sought UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s rallies in Ghatsila, but party high command has not yet approved due to his busy schedule in Bihar.Our state leaders which include LoP Babulal Marandi, Union minister Annapurna Devi, former union minister Arjun Munda, former governor Raghubar Das, former CM Champai Soren.“Our local MP Bidyut Baran Mahato and AJSU president Sudesh Mahato have been given the responsibility to woo the Kurmi voters,” said a leader familiar to the vote strategy for the by-election.