Ranchi, October 23: Weeks ahead of the Assembly Elections in Jharkhand, opposition parties received a blow after six sitting legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday. The latest update had shaken the opposition which is trying to give a tough contest to the ruling party -- governed by Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Centre Declares 10 Jharkhand Districts 'Drought' Affected.

Among the legislators who have switched their boats and joining BJP include former Jharkhand Congress president and Lohardaga legislator Sukhdeo Bhagat, four-term Congress MLA Manoj Yadav, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)'s Kunal Sarangi, Chamra Linda and JP Patel; and Nav Jawan Sangharsh Morch's Bhanu Pratap Shahi. These six leaders have played an essential role in the opposition in the current Assembly session.

With the defection in the party fold ahead of the Assembly polls, the opposition has become vigilant and is speaking with all its sitting and former MLA. Sources say that both Bhagat and Yadav were on the BJP radar and the ruling party was trying to bring them in their fold for quite a long time. Reports even say that Bhagat was not happy with current state Congress chief Rameshwar Oraon and held him responsible for the defeat in Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Meanwhile, CM Das had already made his preparations for the Assembly polls and has also launched a mass-contact programme with the voters through his Jan Aasirbad Yatra. The term of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly ends on December 27, 2019, and it is expected that the Election Commission would soon announce the poll dates for 81-member Assembly elections in Jharkhand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2019 03:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).