Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren addresses a public meeting ahead of the second phase of the state Assembly elections, at Gandey assembly constituency, in Giridih district of Jharkhand.
The Assembly elections in Jharkhand, with the first phase of voting being held last Wednesday and the second and final phase coming up this Wednesday, are important for both the alliances in the fray—the ruling JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)-led alliance including the Congress and the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), and the BJP-led alliance including the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).
Top leaders of the alliances, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, have actively campaigned in the state. The BJP, which lost power in 2019, is trying to recapture it, and it is important for the I.N.D.I.A bloc to retain it. Over 26% of the state’s population consists of tribal groups who are being wooed by both sides. The BJP had an edge in the Lok Sabha elections but the I.N.D.I.A bloc won all the seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
Issues in the Assembly elections are different from those in the Lok Sabha elections, and both sides have tried to raise issues which are emotive or relevant to the state. Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren has reminded the people of his arrest and incarceration by the ED (Enforcement Directorate), and raids still being conducted in the state.
The I.N.D.I.A group is trying to consolidate its tribal base, and is seeking the support of other sections of voters on the basis of the welfare schemes the state government has implemented. The Maiya Samman Yojana, a cash transfer scheme for women, is popular, and the I.N.D.I.A bloc has interpreted the higher percentage of women voters in the first phase as a sign of support. Land rights and domicile are important issues in Jharkhand, and the I.N.D.I.A bloc has promised implementation of the 1932 land registries and records to determine domicile status.
The BJP has approached tribal identity from a different angle, and promoted a campaign which projects the population changes and law and order situation in terms of “Bangladeshi infiltration,” a code for Muslims. Modi and other BJP leaders have raised the pitch of their campaign with warnings about the state losing its identity to “infiltrators.”
The BJP is also trying to consolidate the non-tribal segment of the population, as it did in Haryana with non-Jat votes, with slogans like ek hai toh safe hai. The I.N.D.I.A bloc is countering the infiltration charge with the assertion that it is up to the Central government to check infiltration. Also, both sides are engaged in a battle of sops and guarantees, with competing offers of cash pay-outs, jobs, cheaper everything, and other goodies.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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