Amid the exit polls survey reports indicating none getting full-majority JVM leader Babu Lal Marandi may emerge either as the King or the King-maker. The fate may put him in a situation where he may outsmart the BJP or Congress-JMM-RJD coalition. There are few who believe that BJP had managed in JVM well before elections which might help the limping BJP getting some lost foothold. Marandi does not have any problem to join the BJP as he had some issues with the then BJP president who replaced him for Arjun Munda for no reason. He has a better rapport with the PM.

At the very outset of elections BJP workers were not ready to give the party 16-20 seats but now they are of the view that the party is going to get comfortably 25 seats and they won’t be surprised if the number is something between 30 and 33.

It may be underlined that the JVM has been facing serious resource crunch but fielded its candidates on all 81 Assembly seats apparently with the tacit help from the BJP and is expected to get around 5-6 seats. Until recently, over dependence of JVM on Muslim vote was eroding its base, so the new alignment has put things in perspective. In certain tribal dominated region JVM has wider acceptability and it would have made dent to JMM.

If some insiders are to be believed the BJP has already started touching upon strong independent candidates looking at the prospects getting better and better by the day. It might have further improved with PM pitching strongly for CAA. The people’s verdict will be out on Monday but till then it appears that Marandi would command the marginal number that may make or marr the prospects for new government in Jharkhand.  

(By Rakesh Ranjan)