Left parties who are not part of the JMM-led UPA government in Jharkhand have decided to support JMM candidate and cabinet minister Hafijul Hassan for the Madhupur bypoll scheduled on April 17.
In a joint media statement issued at the CPM state office in Ranchi, four Left parties — CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) and Marxist Coordination Committee — announced their support to the JMM-UPA candidate.
“We had extended our support to the UPA candidates at Bermo and Dumka bypolls against the BJP candidates and have decided to do the same for Madhupur. This has been done as a protest against the pro-corporate policies of the BJP government reflected in the new farm laws, privatisation of national assets and dismal employment opportunities,” said Prakash Viplav on behalf of the joint coordination committee of the Left parties.
Left parties do not have a sizable presence in Madhupur constituency but have a few pockets of where factory workers have shown their support for the Left parties.
Both the UPA and the BJP have started campaigning for their respective candidates.
State minority welfare minister Hafijul Hassan, son of the sitting MLA and senior JMM leader Haji Hussain Ansari, is pitted against Ganga Narayan Singh who had joined the BJP from Ajsu on March 22. Singh was announced the party candidate a few days before March 30, the last date for filing nomination.
BJP party leader and former chief minister Babulal Marandi, Deoghar MP Nishikant Dubey and a host of senior BJP leaders are campaigning for their party candidate.
Leader from the ruling alliance, including Congress minister Badal Patralekh, chief minister Hemant Soren and RJD leaders are campaigning for Hafijul Hassan.
The Madhupur seat fell vacant after sitting MLA Haji Hussain Ansari died of Covid-related complications last year.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the voting percentage of the BJP (28.34 per cent) and Ajsu (19.88 per cent) combined together (48.22 per cent) was higher than the JMM (38.4 per cent). This has made the BJP, which is relying on its traditional voters and Ajsu support to defeat the ruling alliance candidate, field an Ajsu turncoat.
