The ‘Ghar Wapsi’ of Babulal Marandi, chief of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) in BJP fold will be a grand affair on February 17. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda will be present at the merger ceremony at Prabhat Tara Maidan here which will be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda.

The JVM(P) has chalked out a detailed strategy for merger, around 20,000 workers from Ranchi Mahanagar and rural district will participate at the merger function.  The BJP too has made elaborate arrangement for making the function a grand affair. A meeting of senior BJP leaders was held at party office, which was attended by senior party leaders.

Addressing the meeting, Organization General Secretary Dharampal Singh said that thousands of BJP workers from all over the state will participate at the merger function of JVM with BJP. Singh said, “As the merger will be done in the presence of BJP national President JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah it will be made a historic and memorable event.”

The leaders who were present at the meeting included MLA CP Singh, State Vice President Pradeep Verma, State Organization General Minister Dharam Pal Singh, State General Secretary Deepak Prakash, State Minister Subodh Singh Guddu , MLA Naveen Jaiswal, Samri Lal, Ranchi Mahanagar president Manoj Mishra including various districts units chiefs.

Marandi, after month long suspense on Tuesday announced its decision to merge with the BJP on February 17. A Central committee meeting of the party had unanimously approved the party's merger with the BJP.

The merger talks of JVM with BJP was going on since a month, but despite ample signs shown by JVM such as expelling two of its legislators (Pradeep Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey), none of the senior leaders came up publicly announcing the merger of JVM with BJP.  Sources said that JVM agrees to merge with BJP after Marandi had series of meeting with senior BJP leadership including Shah and Nadda.

Sources said that the merger talks of JVM with BJP were looked after by BJP national general secretary and state assembly election in-charge OP Mathur.

It is understood that a merger may also help Marandi revive his career and bounce back. After all, Marandi's JVM, a regional party, has largely been punching below its perceived weight in successive elections. The JVM could win just three of the state's 81 assembly seats. Sources said that Marandi will be either given the post of leader of opposition or state president.

If Marandi's political fortunes are at the bottom, the BJP too is facing its worse of times in Jharkhand. Because of the defeats of saffron stalwarts such as former CM Raghubar Das, former Speaker Dinesh Oraon and party chief Laxman Gilua in the recently concluded Assembly polls, the party is faced with a leadership vacuum.