JVM president and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, who is supporting the United Progressive Alliance government from outside, on Sunday met All India Congress Committee incharge of the state K Keshav Rao and party general secretary Mukul Wasnik to stitch up an alliance in the state which goes to polls in the last week of November and December.
Marandi also met Ahmad Patel, political secretary to Congress president. He said the Congress had approached JVM for an alliance and he has submitted the list of seats his party wants to Congress leader.
Sources said that in the 81-member house, Marandi wants to contest at least 40 seats while Congress is not ready to give more than 25 seats to his party.
Congress sources have already ruled out an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, leaving Marandi's JVM as the only viable alternative for it in the state.
Congress has not managed to form a government on its own in Jharkhand ever since it was carved out of Bihar in 2000 but it has been a coalition partner of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with Shibu Soren as the CM.
