SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Nov 12: Jharkhand heads to the first of the two-phase elections on Wednesday to elect its 43 MLAs of the 81-member Assembly. The second phase is scheduled for November 20.
With shifting alliances, voters are poised to make a decisive choice that will impact the state’s political landscape in the coming years.
What’s new?
In the 2019 Assembly polls, out of the 43 seats at stake tomorrow, the JMM secured 17 seats, while the BJP won 13, and Congress 8, setting the stage for a closely contested race in 2024. While the BJP will have to double its tally in this round to regain power, the JMM-led alliance has a challenge to maintain the status quo.
The primary contest in Assembly polls is between the BJP and the JMM-Congress. But smaller parties, including RJD, AJSU, CPI (ML) and JLKM could play a key role.
The BJP has allied with the AJSU, JD (U) and the LJP, while the JMM is in the ring along with the Congress, RJD and CPI(ML).
BJP’s poll planks
Highlighting the issues of misgovernance and corruption, the BJP has run a high-profile campaign by national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a bid to fuel an anti-incumbency sentiment against the Hemant Soren government.
Besides, the BJP, giving the ‘Roti-mati-beti’ slogan, has also focussed on the issue of protecting tribal Identity and cultural preservation, strongly raising the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration in Jharkhand, particularly in Santhal Pargana.
“Though the BJP leaders are convinced that the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration has found traction in tribal constituencies, we will have to see whether the tribals really feel threatened or not, to wean them away from the JMM,” said a political watcher.
Incidentally, the BJP kept low on the issue of dynastic politics after it fielded the kin of several party leaders.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the political scene in Jharkhand took a sharp turn when the BJP lost all the five seats reserved for tribals. This time, the BJP has taken several steps to win back the tribals’ support.
Moreover, the BJP has strengthened its position by incorporating key regional leaders from other parties, such as former Chief Minister Champai Soren and JMM leader Lobin Hembrom to make inroads into the JMM vote bank.
How the JMM has countered the BJP?
The ruling JMM-Congress has countered the BJP’s ‘roti-mati-beti’ slogan raising the issues of attacks on tribals and women in BJP-ruled states, including Manipur, UP and Gujarat.
The JMM, supposed to have traditional strongholds in tribal-dominated constituencies, has also tried to beat the anti-incumbency challenges through various freebies. It has also tried to create fear among its electorates of the BJP’s design to get hold of the state’s minerals for its capitalist friends. It has also accused the BJP of misusing central investigation agencies to ‘suppress the voice of a tribal chief minister’.
Besides Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren has emerged as a big crowd-puller. She has countered the BJP’s polarisation strategy on themes of tribal unity and development.
The Congress, however, remains a weak link in the INDIA bloc. Faced with internal factionalism and weak organizational structure, the Congress has run a lack-lustre campaign. Rahul Gandhi has visited Jharkhand just once to campaign in Simdega and Jamshedpur.
Vying for voters’ attention
All the political parties have made bold promises to win over voters.
The BJP’s key promises included “driving out infiltrators”, implementing UCC, Rs 2,100 per month to every woman, 5 lakh employment opportunities for the youth, LPG gas cylinders at Rs 500 with two of them free, house and water connection for 2.1 million families.
To counter BJP’s ‘Gogo Didi’ scheme of providing monetary incentives to women, the JMM promised to give Rs 2,500, 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, bringing domicile policy based on 1932 as the cut-off year for land records, implementation of Sarna Dharma Code, and reservations for the OBC, SC, and ST communities at 27 per cent, 12 per cent, and 28 per cent respectively.
It has also promised cylinders at Rs 450, seven kilograms of grain per person belonging to the underprivileged section. It also promised 10 lakh jobs to men and women of the state.
Key seats
- As voters head to the polls in Jharkhand tomorrow, at least seven key constituencies are set to witness high-stakes battles that could influence the overall outcome.
- In Potka, former chief minister Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda is challenging JMM’s Sanjiv Sardar.
- Jamshedpur (East) will see a debutant versus experienced contest. The BJP’s Purnima Sahu Das, daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das is entering politics for the first time, facing Dr Ajoy Kumar from the Congress, an IPS-turned-politician. He had represented Jamshedpur once as an MP.
- In Jamshedpur (West), JD (U) candidate Saryu Roy is giving a tough contest to Congress’ Banna Gupta, who has faced several corruption charges. In 2019, Roy, fighting as an Independent, had defeated sitting CM Raghubar Das.
- Former Chief Minister Champai Soren, once a JMM stalwart, is now contesting on the BJP ticket in Seraikela. He faces a challenge from former BJP Man Ganesh Mahli.
- BJP’s Geeta Koda, wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, is competing with Congress’ Sona Ram Sinku in Jagannathpur. She has the challenge to regain the BJP’s stronghold in a Ho-dominated constituency.
- Congress veteran Rameshwar Oraon faces AJSU’ Shanti Bhagat in Lohardaga while JMM’s Mithilesh Thakur is competing with BJP’s Satyendra Nath Tiwary and SP’s Girinath Singh.
- Similarly, IPS-turned-politician Arun Oraon is entering electoral politics from Sisai. With a rich legacy of tribal icons Kartik Oraon and Bandi Oraon behind him, Arun Oraon is giving a tough challenge to JMM’s Jiga Susaran Horo. Night schools run by him in over 100 villages put him in an advantageous position.
