Jharkhand Assembly polls, which are expected to be held later this year, will be the main agenda at the Jharkhand Congress leaders meeting which will be held in Delhi according to state leader Rajesh Thakur. Around twenty state leaders are expected to be at the conference, which will focus on ways to expand the party’s reach across the mineral-rich state. Senior leader Rameshwar Oraon has told the press that the alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress is strong, and all partners are fighting under one umbrella. Mr Oraon is hopeful that the alliance will improve its tally, which is currently at forty-seven seats in the eighty-member Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.
2019 Jharkhand Assembly polls
In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by incumbent CM Raghubar Das, suffered a setback and won twenty-five seats. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, led by Hemant Soren, was propelled to victory and won thirty seats, making it the single largest party. Its alliance with the Congress and the RJD pushed it across the majority mark. The incumbent CM Raghubar Das lost from his constituency of Jamshedpur East to independent candidate Saryu Roy. Anti-incumbency, perception of being anti-tribal and inaction against public lynchings are said to have led to the BJP’s ousting from power. Moreover, the saffron party ignored its allies and marched to polls alone, which hurt its tally further.
Hemant Soren in hot water
On 31st January, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This move was widely criticized as being politically driven. The opposition alleged that the ED was being misused as a tool for arresting and silencing political enemies of the government. Hemant Soren had to resign, and Champai Soren was named the new Chief Minister. After five months of legal battle, Mr Soren was granted bail, and he resumed his duties as the CM. His arrest reportedly led to discontent among tribal groups in the state against the centre and is said to have impacted the BJP’s performance in Jharkhand in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
2024 Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand
The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand were gloomy for the BJP. The party lost all five tribal-reserved seats: Khunti, Dumka, Rajmahal, Lohardaga, and Singhbhum. Of the total fourteen seats, the BJP won eight whereas the JMM and Congress won three and two, respectively. Union Minister Arjun Munda also lost his seat of Khunti to Congress MP Kalicharan Munda. The opposition made the arrest of the CM its major poll plank and charged the BJP as being a dictatorial force which silences its adversaries. This tactic certainly helped the opposition with a better result compared to its previous 2019 tally. Whether this success can be repeated later this year remains to be seen.
