BJD-JMM Assembly seat adjustment attempt fails

Bhubaneswar: Talks on seat sharing between ruling BJD and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the Odisha Assembly elections have failed following the latter's demand for more seats, a senior BJD leader claimed.

"There will be no seat adjustment with JMM though we had announced for it. Now, BJD will field candidates in all the 147 Assembly segments," BJD vice-president Kalpataru Das told reporters.

Though BJD president Naveen Patnaik and JMM state unit president Sudam Marandi had announced on the possible seat adjustment in Odisha's Mayurbhanj and Sundergarh districts, Das said: "The attempt failed as the JMM demanded more seats."

Stating that BJD had agreed to enter into seat adjustment with the JMM after they shun their demand of a Greater Jharkhand State comprising some portions of three districts of Odisha, the BJD vice-president said that the talk did not materialise.

While BJD claimed that the seat adjustment attempt could not be made due to demand of more seats by JMM, sources said Sibu Soren was opposed to having any agreement with the Naveen Patnaik led party in Odisha.

As the attempt of seat adjustment with JMM failed, sources said a new move has been initiated to merge the Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh units of the JMM in the ruling party.