Monday, February 28 2005 20:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The Forward Bloc (FB) which won two seats in the Assembly elections in Jharkhand today (Feb 28, 2005) said it was in talks with the Congress and JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) in the State to help form a secular Government to keep the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) out of power.

The party's Central Committee member Birsingh Mahato reached Ranchi during the day to hold consultations with Congress and JMM leaders to explore the possibilities of a Government to prevent BJP to take office again, veteran Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh told sources in Kolkata.

Claiming that without the support of the two FB MLAs the formation of a secular government was not possible in Jharkhand, Ghosh who is the general secretary of the West Bengal unit said that his party had told Congress and JMM for formulation of a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) on the lines of the one of UPA (United Progressive Alliance). Asked whether his party would join if a secular Government was formed in the State, he said, "We will first see whether a CMP is framed and the composition of the Government before deciding on joining it."

Forward Bloc for the first time tasted victory in the Jharkhand Assembly polls when its candidates Bhanu Pratap Singh and Aparna Sengupta were elected from Bhavanathpur and Nirsha constituencies respectively.