Jharkhand Assembly Elections: How tribals and women will shape the outcome
Haryana, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to oust the Hemant Soren-led government in the eastern state. Senior BJP leaders are camping in the state, keeping a close watch on the day-to-day campaigns.
A BJP victory in Jharkhand will send out a message that the party has regained momentum after the Lok Sabha setback. Meanwhile, Jharkhand CM and JMM leader Soren is trying to achieve what no other party has managed in the state so far — a repeat of the government. Assembly polls will also be a test of Soren’s popularity among the tribal voters, as some senior tribal leaders are leaving the party to join the BJP.
For Congress, the election is all about gaining relevance after the Haryana setback and repeating its 2019 performance, when the party won 16 assembly seats. In a bipolar election with both alliances having a consolidated vote bank in their favour, a slight shift towards any alliance can change the game. ET lists some factors at play in the upcoming assembly polls:
THE TRIBAL FACTOR
Tribals account for 26.21% of Jharkhand’s population, and out of 81 assembly seats, 28 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (STs). This is where BJP has been facing a problem. In 2019, of the 28 seats, the party could win only two while JMM and Congress won 25 (JMM 19 and Congress 6). One seat was won by Babulal Marandi’s JVM, which has now merged with the BJP. In this year’s Lok Sabha election, BJP couldn’t win any of the five ST seats.
The BJP is working hard to hit the strong tribal vote bank of JMM. Over the last few days,
