Jharkhand Politics :- The wind of Chhattisgarh election results will also affect the politics of Jharkhand. After victory in three states of Hindi belt, BJP has got a new dose of enthusiasm in Jharkhand. On the other hand, the ruling alliance of JMM-Congress-RJD in the state also realizes that it is going to face a strong challenge from the BJP. BJP members of Jharkhand are most excited by the election results of Chhattisgarh.
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are neighboring states and there is a lot of similarity in the circumstances of both the states. There is a significant population of tribals in both the states. While the tribal population in Chhattisgarh is 33 percent, in Jharkhand it is 26-27 percent. Both the states were formed simultaneously 23 years ago. The problem of Naxalism is more or less the same in both the states. With the victory of Chhattisgarh, BJP has got the mantra to attract tribal voters. In the last assembly elections, BJP was out of power after losing 26 out of 28 tribal seats in Jharkhand. This time the party’s focus is on tribal seats. Work on a special strategy for this has also started.
It may be noted that just before the second phase of elections in Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached Khunti in Jharkhand on the occasion of Birsa Jayanti and had announced schemes worth Rs 24,000 crore for the development and welfare of tribals. Babulal Marandi is being projected as the most prominent tribal face by the BJP compared to the ruling alliance leader Hemant Soren. Babulal was made the star campaigner of BJP in the elections held in Chhattisgarh. He held election meetings in ten assembly constituencies in the state, out of which BJP won in eight. BJP had deployed 47 Jharkhand BJP leaders in Chhattisgarh. The experiences of these leaders from Chhattisgarh will be tried in Jharkhand also. After the victory of Chhattisgarh, BJP’s political attacks on Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Jharkhand will increase. The influence of ED and CBI may also increase.
Especially in case of mining scam, allotment of mining lease to oneself and people close to the family, their problems may also increase. ED has issued summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren five times so far. The election results of four states will also affect the internal equations of the ruling JMM, Congress and RJD alliance. Till the election results, Congress was presenting its claim as a “big partner” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, now Congress will not be in a position to put much pressure on JMM within the alliance in seat sharing. The election results have also alerted Congress and JMM that they will have to do more strategically for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and strengthen the party at the booth level with a better understanding of the issues. (IANS)