The BJP has sought an explanation from its Jharkhand unit after it lost the important Jamshedpur Lok Sabha bypoll.
BJP’s state unit chief and its candidate for the bypoll, Dineshanand Goswami, meanwhile, has submitted his
resignation to party chief Nitin Gadkari, owing moral responsibility. Mr Goswami is expected to meet BJP top-brass later this week. State chief minister Arjun Munda along with senior party leaders from the state are also expected to meet the party leadership on this issue. Sources said BJP, which faced a humiliating defeat in the recently-held Assembly polls in five states, has been left stunned after losing the Jamshedpur seat. The constituency was considered its stronghold and was vacated after Mr Munda took over as the chief minister. The seat has been won by Jharkhand Vikas Morcha’s (JVM) candidate Ajay Kumar Singh.
BJP’s loss has brought to the fore, growing dissidence in the ruling coalition in the state. It could be mentioned that for the bypoll, BJP, JMM and All-Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU), which are the ruling coalition partners, had each filed their own candidates. Even after several rounds of meeting over choosing a candidate, ruling coalition partners failed to arrive on a consensus for a common candidate.