Koda for more Assembly seats for stability in Jharkhand

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda today demanded that the number of Assembly seats in the state be increased to avoid a fractured mandate and provide a stable government.
"I strongly favour that Assembly seats be increased from the existing 81 to at least 140 to provide stability in the government," Koda, an Independent MP, told reporters here.
Koda, who was arrested on November 30, 2009 on money laundering charges, was released on April 18 on a three-week provisional bail for the treatment of his ailing mother.
Stating that he was implicated in false cases, he expressed confidence that he would come out clean.

Asked whether some political parties had conspired to implicate him in false cases, Koda said it was not necessary to see the case with a political angle.
He claimed that people have realised the fact behind his arrest and were greeting him wherever he visited since his release.
The Jai Bharat Samanta Party (JBSP), headed by his wife and Independent MLA Geeta Koda, would contest all Assembly seats under his Singhbhum parliamentary seat in the next Assembly election, Koda said.
"We may contest in more seats in mineral-rich Kolhan region comprising of East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharswan districts. However, the decision will be taken only after consulting party leaders and workers," he added.