M for mahagathbandhan, M for a mess called Godda that has every potential of breaking the Congress-led Opposition’s anti-BJP plank for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Bosses of Jharkhand Congress are finding it tough to strike a balance between their party leader Furkan Ansari and the JVM over the Godda parliamentary seat, which now holds the key to JVM chief Babulal Marandi staying or quitting the Opposition alliance.

Ansari’s son representing Jamtara Assembly constituency Irfan Ansari on Tuesday rushed to Delhi to meet Congress national president Rahul Gandhi on the matter. “Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will try to get time from Rahul Gandhiji so that I can appraise him on ground realities,” the MLA said. “Godda is the traditional bastion of the Congress. We won this seat eight times. If you take away Godda, the Congress is a non-entity in Santhal Pargana. In the extreme case, all three MLAs from Santhal Pargana and office-bearers of the party will resign,” he further said, adding he had heard “rumours that Godda seat will go to the JVM.”

It is widely known that JVM president Babulal Marandi wants the Godda seat for his MLA Pradip Yadav, who led a massive stir there against alleged forcible land acquisition for the Adani power plant.

But the entire Santhal Pargana unit of the Congress has categorically conveyed to the state leadership that giving the Godda seat to the JVM would be “political suicide” for the Congress.

The senior Ansari who had won this parliamentary seat in 2004 has warned the Congress that if a ticket is denied to him, Muslim voters would be alienated from the Congress and its repercussions would be felt in Bihar and Bengal.

His son Irfan said Pradip Yadav as the Opposition candidate would only help sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

“Yadav is anti-upper caste and anti-minority. He will neither get upper caste votes, not minority votes,” he said.

A senior Congress leader from Santhal Pargana squarely blamed state Congress president Ajoy Kumar for the mess. “Before joining the Congress, our state president (Ajoy) was with the JVM. Why is he so keen to surrender the traditional Congress seat to the JVM? Either he is batting for the JVM or he is unable to convince Marandi,” said the leader.

Congressman and Pakur MLA Alamgir Alam said they had conveyed their sentiments to the central party leadership. “Deadlock over Godda continues, as far as I know,” he said. A Congress insider said it would not be easy for the party’s central leadership to surrender Godda to the JVM owing to strong protests within the Congress. “The leadership is also mulling options apart from Ansari who can give a strong challenge to the BJP.”

Congress leader Furkan Ansari Telegraph picture