Ahead of the Ghatshila Assembly by-election, several senior BJP leaders and office-bearers from East Singhbhum district joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Thursday.
Among those who switched sides were East Singhbhum Zilla Parishad Vice-Chairman Pankaj Sinha, former BJP district president (rural) and state executive member Saurabh Chakraborty, Ghatshila BJP Mandal president Kaushik Sinha, former Musabani Mandal president Tushar Patra, BJP media in-charge Suresh Mahali, and Jamshedpur’s Jambu Akhara president Bunty Singh.
They formally joined the JMM in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who welcomed them into the party fold. JMM central spokesperson and former MLA Kunal Sarangi, along with Zilla Parishad Chairperson Bari Murmu, were also present on the occasion.
Shortly after the defection, the BJP state leadership announced disciplinary action against several of these leaders. Acting on the directives of state president and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, state general secretary Manoj Kumar Singh issued expulsion orders citing “anti- party activities” during the ongoing by-election campaign.
The expelled leaders include former district president Saurabh Chakraborty, Zilla Parishad vice-chairman Pankaj Sinha, former Mandal president Tushar Kant, and party worker Suresh Mahali. Additionally, Ghatshila Mandal president Kaushik Kumar was also expelled for campaigning against the party’s official candidate, Babu Lal Soren.
According to BJP sources, the expulsions have taken immediate effect.