NEW DELHI: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and his wife, Kalpana Soren met Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday, a day after election results of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir were announced. The meeting took place at Kharge’s residence to discuss preparations for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader announced the meeting on the social media platform X.
“Today in New Delhi, I met Congress President respected Shri @kharge ji and senior Congress leader Shri @RahulGandhi ji and discussed various issues related to the state,” Soren posted on X.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal was also present during the meeting.
The Congress and JMM are looking to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement as part of their strategy to retain power in Jharkhand against a strong campaign from the BJP, according to reports.
Following the Congress’s recent defeat in the Haryana assembly polls, there has been tension within the INDIA bloc, with allies criticising the Congress for working independently and not collaborating effectively. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and other parties such as the TMC, AAP, CPM, and CPI attributed the Haryana loss to this lack of cooperation.
On Wednesday, CM Hemant Soren also announced his opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 during a meeting with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He said, “We will never support the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in Parliament if presented.”
The 2024 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election for electing 81 members is scheduled to be held at the end of the year.