Too keen to become ministers in Arjun Munda’s government, MLAs from all the four parties in the alliance are now engaged in showing themselves in better light than other contenders in their parties so as to amplify their own suitability for a cabinet berth.
While a JD(U) lady MLA said she must become a minister as no government should be formed without a woman member, a JMM legislator who is a Christian has demanded a berth seeking representation for the community while another from the party, a Muslim, said he could serve the state’s Muslims as a minister better than anyone else.
A day after winning the trust vote in the state Assembly, a harried Mr Munda left for New Delhi on Wednesday to confer with top BJP leaders on which MLAs from the party to pick as ministers.
While the BJP’s quota in the Arjun Munda Cabinet is only two, there are at least seven contenders from the party lobbying hard for ministerial berths, said sources.
Despite the JMM prodding Mr Munda to finalise the expansion of his Cabinet by Friday due to the regional party’s two-day workers’ conclave beginning in Dumka two days later, the chief minister is reportedly unwilling to hurry for fear that the present race among MLAs in all the four parties — BJP, JMM, AJSU and JD(U) — could give his government a jolt much earlier than anticipated.
Even as the BJP is reportedly planning keep the JD(U), the smallest among the allies with only two MLAs, out of the cabinet, JD(U) legislator Sudha Chaudhary, who had become a minister in the previous Sibu Soen-led government, said: “How can a government be formed without a woman member? I am most suitable for a Cabinet berth.”
JMM legislator Simon Marandi, a Christian who had turned dissident for being left out of Mr Soren’s government, said: “The community (Christians) in Jharkhand must get representation in this government. I am a senior MLA and I must become a minister to represent the community”.
While Hazi Hussain Ansari of the JMM is most likely to be offered a cabinet berth, JMM legislator from Pakur, Akil Akhtar, demanded to be made a minister, saying: “Given a chance, I can serve the Muslims better than anyone else”.