Ex-CM’s Wife & Congress’ Lone MP from Jharkhand Geeta Koda Joins BJP

Ranchi: Congress’ only Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Geeta Koda joined the BJP on Monday afternoon. Geeta is the wife of former Congress CM Madhu Koda, who is barred from contesting elections after serving a three-year jail term in a coal-mining scam.

Geeta’s defection was a blow for the Congress ahead of the general election. It is believed that Geeta’s defection had Madhu Koda’s approval.

Geeta had in 2019 won the Singhbhum (ST) seat defeating the BJP candidate by over 70,000 votes. On Monday, Geeta said, she was feeling “suffocated” in the Congress. She accused the Congress of “pushing the country into ruin”, doing “appeasement politics” and “caring for only one family”.

She promised to serve the BJP “in whatever capacity required”.

With the induction of Geeta, the BJP wants to increase support among the Ho tribe, which accounts for half the over 58 per cent ST population in the Singhbhum parliamentary constituency.