Ranchi, March 23 The Congress expressed concern on Monday over its ally, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), deciding to contest 21 seats independently in the upcoming Assam assembly elections, saying this could split anti-BJP tribal votes.
The JMM had earlier in the day announced 21 candidates for the April 9 elections to the 126-member Assam assembly.
Congress leader Rakesh Ranjan said the party had hoped the JMM would contest the polls as part of the opposition coalition.
"We wanted to contest the Assam elections together. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi had visited Jharkhand along with other senior leaders, and we expected an alliance with JMM. However, the party chose to field 21 candidates on its own, which may split tribal votes," he said.
Ranjan said both parties share the broader objective of defeating the BJP in Assam.
Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh said his party had made a "serious and positive effort" to forge an understanding with JMM.
He said the Congress had proposed offering five to seven seats to JMM along with organisational support in constituencies where its candidates would contest.
"Our intention was to ensure JMM's representation in the Assam assembly through a united effort," Kamlesh said.
Without commenting on JMM's electoral prospects, he said the decision to contest independently could weaken the collective political strength of tribal communities by dividing their votes.
Among the seats the Jharkhand's ruling JMM is contesting in Assam are Mazbat, Biswanath, Khumtai, Chabua, Gossaigaon, Rangapara, Margherita, Naharkatia, and Titabor.
The JMM is seeking to expand beyond Jharkhand and shed its image as a regional party by tapping into Assam's sizeable tribal population, including tea garden workers with roots in the Chhotanagpur region.
The party believes these communities have long-standing social and economic concerns that require stronger political representation.
The JMM-Congress-RJD coalition returned to power in Jharkhand last year for a second consecutive term, winning 56 of the 81 assembly seats.