Two more former BJP leaders, Louis Marandi, and Kunal Sarangi, joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday, just weeks before the state assembly elections. This move follows the recent defection of three-time BJP MLA Kedar Hazra and AJSU Party's Umakant Rajak to the JMM.
Sarangi, the former BJP spokesperson and ex-MLA from Bahragora told the news agency PTI, "We joined the JMM today."
Marandi, a former BJP legislator, had previously defeated Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Dumka in 2014 by a margin of 5,262 votes. However, Soren reclaimed the seat in 2019 with a margin of 13,188 votes but vacated it to retain the Barhait constituency.
In the subsequent by-election, Soren’s brother, Basant Soren, defeated Marandi by over 6,842 votes in the party stronghold in Dumka.