Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s election candidature proposer Mandal Murmu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, days ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
Murmu was inducted into the Hindutva party in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey and BJP’s Jamtara candidate Sita Soren.
Dubey later told The Indian Express that Murmu, a descendant of the 1855 Santhal Mutiny leaders Sidho and Kanhu, will campaign for BJP candidates in the Santhal Pargana area.
“It is a major embarrassment to Chief Minister Hemant Soren,” said Dubey.
The Santhal Parganas administrative division comprises six districts: Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur.
Voting for the Jharkhand Assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23, alongside that of the Maharashtra elections.
Murmu’s induction into the BJP comes days after Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha alleged that the proposer had been abducted “by some unknown persons”.
On October 27, a vehicle that Murmu was travelling in was chased by the police and he was detained for about 45 minutes, The Indian Express reported. This led to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar reprimanding the Jharkhand chief secretary and director-general of police for non-compliance with the Model Code of Conduct.
The code is a set of guidelines issued by the poll panel that the government, political parties and candidates must follow during an election.
Murmu had denied the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s claims.
“Just because I am a proposer for CM Soren, it does not mean I cannot travel or meet anyone,” he told The Indian Express.
Dubey later posted a photo with Murmu on social media. The MP claimed that Murmu had been detained while on his way to meet BJP leaders in Ranchi.
“My forefathers were freedom fighters and I keep meeting politicians from across the spectrum,” Murmu told The Indian Express. “I met Nishikant Dubey on October 27 morning to discuss jobs and social issues, among other things. I was on my way to Ranchi for some personal work and to meet some central BJP ministers to apprise them of various issues, including infiltration.”
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