Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar on Sunday criticised the BJP over its allocation of party tickets for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls, saying familial ties continue to dominate the largest political party in the country.

"Once again, the BJP has proven that family matters more than the party," Kumar, an AICC executive committee member, said and argued that the allotment of tickets to family members of certain leaders exemplifies the party's double standards.

BJP relentlessly accuses opposition party on the issue of 'Parivarwad', he said, asking whether allotment of party tickets to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar's daughter-in-law Purnima Das Sahu, former Union Minister Arjun Munda's wife Meera Munda and another former CM Champai Soren's son Babulal Soren fall under the same category.

The former parliamentarian noted that the BJP has set a unique example of women’s empowerment by granting tickets to a daughter-in-law and wife of senior leaders.

In a veiled reference to Raghubar Das, who has won five consecutive elections from Jamshedpur East assembly segment, Kumar expressed concern that the BJP has failed to present a single new leader for the upcoming elections.

"The way tickets were allocated makes it clear that party workers are merely expected to carry the party flag," Kumar said and added that perhaps the BJP believes that giving tickets to family members does not fall under the criticism of dynastic politics.

Kumar emphasised that the public should recognise that a family that has ruled for 25 years is still focused on its own interests. He also remarked that Das, who is currently the Odisha governor, had failed to deliver during his two-and-a-half decades in power, despite being the chief minister of the state.

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