J'khand PCC chief resigns from post

Taking responsibility of the party's debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ajoy Kumar Monday resigned from his post. He handed over his resignation letter to AICC in- charge of Jharkhand R P N Singh.

"I have handed over my resignation letter to R P N Singh, AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, taking personal responsibility for the election results," Kumar told PTI over the phone. It is not immediately known whether his resignation letter was accepted.

The Congress, which led the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) in the state, contested the Lok Sabha polls from seven out of 14 seats. But the party could win only one seat - Singhbhum(ST) - where former chief minister Madhu Koda's wife, Gita Koda, defeated BJP's state unit president Laxman Gilua.

The JMM contested four seats and won only one seat, while Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) contested two seats and lost both. On the other side, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) failed to open its account, though it had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Palamau (SC) and Chatra constituencies.

The BJP-Ajsu Party alliance won 12 of the total 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand. According to the pre-poll alliance, the seat-sharing arrangement of the 'Mahagathbandhan', the Congress had been given the charge to head the grand alliance in Lok Sabha, while the JMM would be given responsibility during the assembly polls to be held later this year.