Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is intensifying its preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand, adopting a two-pronged strategy to engage the tribal community while retaining urban support. The 81-member assembly election is due later this year.
A BJP functionary revealed that the party’s campaign would focus on alleged corruption by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was released on June 28 after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. “Our campaign will highlight the poor governance record of the state government and the corruption by Chief Minister Hemant Soren,” said the functionary, requesting anonymity.
The BJP aims to target 28 of the 91 constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). According to the 2011 census, 34.6% of Jharkhand’s electorate belongs to ST communities, crucial for swaying the election outcome. The BJP’s lackluster performance in the 2019 assembly elections and this year’s Lok Sabha polls has been largely attributed to the apathy from tribal communities.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP’s seat count dropped from 37 to 25, while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), led by Soren, formed the government by winning 30 seats with support from the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s tally decreased from 11 in 2019 to eight, with the JMM winning three, Congress two, and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) securing one seat.
Concerns over losing support from tribal communities have been exacerbated by the Opposition’s campaign portraying the BJP as anti-Scheduled Caste (SC) and ST and against caste-based reservations. “In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 25 out of 47 seats reserved for STs, a decline from 31 seats in 2019. In Jharkhand, the loss was severe as the party did not win a single ST seat out of five,” the functionary said.
Recent meetings with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, appointed as election in-charges for Jharkhand, highlighted the need to enhance the party’s outreach towards tribal communities and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in urban constituencies.
“There is a section within the party that believes the JMM’s claim of the Union government victimizing Soren, a tribal chief minister, resonates with the communities. The issue of ‘tribal pride’ being hurt by his arrest is gaining traction despite his poor governance track record. Therefore, it is crucial to highlight his deficiencies and address issues concerning the people,” said a second BJP functionary.
To counter the JMM’s allegations of political vendetta, the BJP has focused on issues affecting ST communities, particularly women and youth. “Land acquisition in tribal areas through stealth and the illegal settlement of people from Bangladesh are significant concerns in the Santhal Pargana region,” the second functionary added.
BJP leaders are optimistic about the recent Jharkhand high court order directing the state government to identify and deport Bangladeshi infiltrators. To retain urban support, BJP leaders are urging the Union government to announce state-specific schemes for food security, crop remuneration, and health, housing, and other amenities, similar to strategies that succeeded in Chhattisgarh last year.
“There is anger because the chief minister promised five lakh government jobs, which have not been provided. There was no development nor economic measures for the youth,” the second functionary said.
The BJP is also considering pre-poll alliances, particularly with the AJSU, with whom they have been allies on and off, including in 2014 when the BJP won 37 seats and AJSU five. The state BJP is aware that leadership will be a critical issue in the upcoming elections. The 2019 defeat was partly attributed to the absence of a tribal face, as then Chief Minister Raghubar Das was not perceived as a statewide leader. With tribal leader Babulal Marandi now appointed as state BJP chief, the party hopes to overcome the criticism of lacking tribal representation at the top.
The BJP’s strategic focus on tribal outreach and urban support aims to reclaim lost ground and secure a victory in the forthcoming Jharkhand assembly elections.
