BRAJESH VERMA
Dumka, Nov 15: Chief Minister Hemant Soren has completely transformed his appearance for this assembly election, reminding his supporters of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren. He has grown his beard and hair in the same manner as his father Shibu Soren used to. Although Shibu Soren is now away from the election campaign due to his advanced age and poor health, Hemant has taken charge, adopting his father’s look.
However, a significant change this time is that in election rallies, members of the minority community are being seated in the front rows, while the tribals are placed in the back. This was observed during Hemant’s election rally in the Gando area of Dumka constituency, where members of the Muslim community were seated in the front rows, while the tribals were placed in the back. The event was also conducted by a local Muslim leader, which was a first-time occurrence.
During the era of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren, such a practice never took place, even though he had established a strong political equation with the “Miya-Majhi-Mahato” community. However, Hemant Soren has reversed this trend in Santhal Pargana. Now, tribals are placed in the back, while Muslims are being given more political importance.
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It was also observed at the rally that when Hemant announced that if his government is formed, starting next December, all women would receive ₹2,500 instead of ₹1,000 in their accounts, members of the Muslim community responded with loud applause.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s accusations regarding the presence of Bangladeshi infiltrators in Santhal Pargana are clearly visible in Hemant Soren’s rallies. Numerous madrasas have been opened in the villages, and among the crowds, there is a noticeable contribution of more Muslim women than tribal women.
The nature of this assembly election has completely changed. From the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Hemant Soren’s younger brother, Basant Soren, is contesting from the Dumka assembly seat. He does not appear as aggressive against the Modi government at the center as Hemant Soren does. Hemant has clearly accused the BJP of fighting elections using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He even claimed that the BJP wants to gain power in Jharkhand by holding early elections.
