New Delhi, March 26 Will there be divine intervention? Desperate for some good and clean governance, a group of senior citizens in Ranchi, the Jharkhand capital decided to appease the gods for it.

Around 50 people, most of them above the age of 60, performed a 'yagna' or fire ritual in Ranchi, praying for good political representatives in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In the backdrop loomed a picture of US President Barack Obama.

'We are fed up with the nature of politics in our country. Candidates with criminal backgrounds and those involved in corruption are becoming MPs. We are left with no option but to seek the blessings of god to get good candidates who represent us,' said Mukhtar Singh, president of the Retired Employees Association.

They also took an oath in the name of Mahatma Gandhi that they would not choose candidates with an unsavoury past.

Ranchi, Jan 10 The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has convened an executive body meeting here today to deliberate upon the prevailing political situation in the aftermath of Chief Minister Shibu Soren losing the Tamar bypoll.
"The party's executive body will meet in the afternoon, and Guruji (Soren) will be among the party members to attend the meeting," party's organising Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told PTI here.

Bhattacharya refrained from commenting when asked whether the party would deliberate on any alternative candidate for the CM post following Soren's defeat in the bypoll, leaving him still as a non-MLA chief minister.

Soren is in New Delhi to meet UPA leaders and is expected to return later in the day. He had left for the national capital soon after losing the Tamar assembly seat on Thursday to discuss on his continuation as chief minister with his UPA allies.

Soren was accompanied by former chief minister Madhu Koda and HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey.

Soren, who had toyed with the idea of stepping down from office after his shock defeat, received a shot in the arm yesterday when rebel BJP candidate Vishnu Bhaiyya resigned from his Jamtara seat to enable Soren to try his luck to the assembly once again.

Bhaiyya sent his resignation to the speaker of the assembly yesterday which was accepted.

"I will definitely contest the elections," Soren said after meeting Congress party's in charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken in New Delhi yesterday. PTI