Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Ranchi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday alleged that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has "no brand value" in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc as he "failed" to get adequate seats for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls despite "visiting CM Hemant Soren's residence thrice".
Sarma, who is also the BJP's election co-in charge for Jharkhand, claimed that the ruling JMM is lacking candidates for the upcoming polls.
His comment comes after some BJP leaders joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ahead of the assembly elections.
"Tejashwi Yadav has no brand value. He stands exposed before the masses of Bihar. He went thrice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's home (for seats) but to no results...," Sarma alleged.
Sarma also said he felt "sad" about "difficulties" faced by Yadav over seat-sharing arrangement among I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners in Jharkhand.
The assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20 and counting will take place on November 23.
On BJP leaders joining JMM, he said Hemant Soren's party "did not have candidates and if they require, the BJP can send 8-10 more".
Notably, a slew of BJP leaders, including ex-MLAs Lois Marandi, Kunal Sarangi and Lakshman Tudu, three-term legislator Kedar Hazra, recently joined the ruling party.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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