One CM of Jharkhand will be heavy against dozens BJP CMs: Hemant Soren

At least this election opposition read BJP should not have fielded candidates as a tribute to the departed leader who had won from this constituency with a record margin last year, said Soren, making a veiled reference to Champai Soren, whose son Babulal Soren is contesting for the second time on a BJP ticket.Hemant Soren called upon the voters to vote in such a manner that the opposition candidate loses his security deposit.Earlier in the forenoon, Somesh Chandra Soren filed nomination papers at the Ghatshila SDO office.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday took a dig at BJP star campaigners comprising several former and current chief ministers and challenged them that only the CM of Jharkhand will be heavy on all of them.

Addressing a public meeting in Ghatshila, Hemant Soren said, ''I have heard that close to a dozen former and current chief ministers from different states are coming to campaign for the BJP candidate. There is nothing to worry, even if they bring two dozen chief ministers, only one chief minister of Jharkhand will be too much for all of them.'' Hemant Soren and state Congress president Keshav Mahato accompanied JMM Ghatshila bypoll candidate Somesh Chandra Soren to the SDO office to file his nomination papers.

''You will listen to these former and current chief ministers unleashing fireballs during rallies. But we are prepared, and every fireball will be hit for six with such a force that balls will fly away to the states from where these leaders will come,'' said Soren.

The BJP list of star campaigners for the Ghatshila by-poll to campaign for their party candidate Babulal Soren (son of former CM Champai Soren) includes former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Annapurna Devi, Jual Oram, Sanjay Seth.

The list also includes Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, former Jharkhand chief ministers Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, Madhu Koda and Champai Soren.

Hemant Soren, for most of his nearly 30-minute speech, spoke in Santhali (Ghatshila ST reserve constituency has over 28 per cent of Santhali population) and compared the BJP to cats who only look for an opportunity for milk to be spilled so that they can drink.

''BJP is like cats who always look for an opportunity to drink spilled milk, while BJP looks for deaths of elected leaders so that they can fight by-polls. Being a financially strong party (BJP) contesting by-polls is not a problem. But for parties like JMM having financial problems, contesting by polls is very difficult,'' said Soren.

Hemant Soren claimed that this election is a tribute to the former Ghatshila MLA and former education minister Ramdas Soren.

''It is unfortunate that a leader who had been associated with JMM and had worked with deceased Ramdas Soren is also involved with BJP for the by-poll. At least this election opposition (read BJP) should not have fielded candidates as a tribute to the departed leader who had won from this constituency with a record margin last year,'' said Soren, making a veiled reference to Champai Soren, whose son Babulal Soren is contesting for the second time on a BJP ticket.

Hemant Soren called upon the voters to vote in such a manner that the opposition candidate loses his security deposit.

Earlier in the forenoon, Somesh Chandra Soren filed nomination papers at the Ghatshila SDO office.