Patna: Returning from a two-day campaign for the final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections scheduled for November 20, Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh expressed optimism about the INDIA bloc’s prospects. Speaking to reporters at Patna airport, Singh claim the opposition INDIA bloc would come back to power in Jharkhand.
Singh highlighted widespread public support for Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and the Grand Alliance govt. “There is tremendous support among the general public for Soren’s govt and people have decided to re-establish the GA govt in Jharkhand,” he said.
“The resentment against the BJP and its allies is palpable. Public outreach, door-to-door campaigns and rallies have made it clear that the general public is ready to reinstate Soren as CM. We fought the previous assembly election on issues and the reformative steps taken during the last term will yield results. People understand that the BJP has mortgaged the country to capitalists,” Singh said.
However, BJP state president Prem Ranjan Patel countered Singh’s claims, saying that the public in Jharkhand was disillusioned with the INDIA bloc govt led by Soren. “People are fed up with the corruption in Jharkhand where Soren himself went to jail. The way Soren behaved — taking oath again after coming out of jail — was not liked by the people,” Patel said.