Last Updated on 14/08/2024 by Arun jain
A statement has come from Jharkhand’s Chief Electoral Officer Ravi Kumar. K Ravi Kumar has said that preparations have been completed at the district level for the assembly elections. The commission has been informed in this regard and soon the commission’s team will visit the state. After this statement of the Chief Electoral Officer, there are possibilities that the Election Commission may announce the schedule for Jharkhand elections by the first or second week of September.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is preparing to repeat the successful experiment of tribal identity and victim card in the Lok Sabha elections by making CM Soren’s arrest an issue in the assembly elections as well. At the same time, after losing all the five seats reserved for tribals in the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already started preparations to deal with this in the assembly elections. What is BJP’s plan to counter JMM’s strategy? Let’s understand.
Preparations to make big leaders candidates
BJP can give tickets to big leaders in the assembly elections on the lines of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is also being said that a meeting was held between state in-charge Laxmikant Bajpayee, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Shivraj Singh Chauhan along with state president Babulal Marandi in which consensus has been reached on this matter. The party has also indicated that leaders from the tribal society as well as influential leaders from the non-tribal society should start preparing to contest the elections. There is talk of making former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Sudarshan Bhagat, Sameer Oraon, Sunil Soren, Arun Oraon, Dinesh Oraon, Asha Lakra, Louise Marandi, Shivshankar Oraon, Geeta Koda, Badkunwar Gagarai, Tala Marandi as well as Sita Soren as candidates.
The formula for collective leadership
Chief Minister Hemant Soren will be the CM face from the ruling coalition, but there is no possibility of BJP declaring him as the CM face. Instead of entering the election fray by declaring a leader as the CM face, the party will go to the election with its collective leadership formula which has been tried in many states. By making big leaders contest the election and not declaring them as the CM face, factionalism is curbed and every faction works hard for victory with the hope of making its leader the CM. This also affects the surrounding seats.
Preparations to sharpen the issues related to tribal society
During the recent monsoon session of Parliament, BJP MP from Godda seat of Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, had set the tone for BJP’s campaign for tribal seats. Nishikant Dubey was seen attacking the Jharkhand government in Parliament over the declining participation of tribal society in the total population, the problem of Bangladeshi intruders in tribal-dominated areas and changing demography. By making Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma co-in-charge, BJP had also indicated that it would strongly raise the issue of infiltration and changing demography in the elections.
Also read: Will these areas be separated from Bihar-Bengal and Jharkhand? What is the stake behind this demand of Nishikant Dubey
Alliance with AJSU
BJP, which is trying to strengthen its political base among the tribal voters, has made it clear even before the announcement of the election program that the party will contest the elections in alliance with All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced this after meeting AJSU chief Sudesh Mahato. Sudesh Mahato is vocal against the Hemant government on issues related to the tribal society. In such a situation, the strategy of BJP is to corner JMM on its strong tribal pitch through a big leader and party of the tribal society.
Also read: ‘Bangladeshis will be beaten and driven away from Santhal Pargana…’ said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
What is the power of tribal vote
Jharkhand is counted among the tribal majority states. The tribal community’s participation in the state’s total population is about 26 percent. Elections are held for 81 seats of the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly. 28 assembly seats of the state are reserved for the tribal community. Talking about the 2019 Jharkhand elections, the BJP could win only two out of these 28 seats. It will be interesting to see how much this strategy of the BJP, which remained empty-handed in the tribal land in the Lok Sabha elections, can bloom.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)