NDA has completed the distribution of seats in Jharkhand in preparation for the upcoming election period. Among the 81 assembly seats, BJP will participate in 68 seats, AJSU in 10, JDU in 2, and LJP (Ram Vilas) in one seat. JDU and LJP (Ram Vilas) have been getting ready to participate in the Jharkhand elections for many months; however, they have been allocated a limited number of seats.
Elections in Jharkhand will take place in two stages on November 13 and 20. Vote counting is scheduled for November 23. The BJP opposition party has made every possible effort to secure victory in the Jharkhand assembly elections.
The responsibility of ensuring the lotus blooms in the Jharkhand elections has been entrusted to seasoned leaders such as Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Chief Minister of Assam, and Himanta Biswa Sarma, a prominent figure in Hindutva, who have extensive experience and both have served as Chief Ministers in Madhya Pradesh for a considerable period. In addition to the BJP, the Jharkhand NDA is comprised of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal United (JDU) from Bihar, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan.
While the India Alliance opposition consists of JMM, Congress, RJD, and Left parties. It was believed that BJP’s loss in the 2019 assembly elections was partly due to breaking its alliance with AJSU, but they reunited for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections due to political reasons.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP secured victory in 8 out of 14 seats in the state, AJSU won one seat, and India Alliance claimed 5 seats. In addition to the distribution of seats, there is also concern about whether Nitish Kumar and Chirag Paswan are satisfied with only receiving 2 and 1 seats, respectively. Current reports suggest that the BJP has communicated to its partners about their intention to oust Hemant Soren’s government in the assembly elections, urging everyone to be open-minded when it comes to sharing seats.
Following the Lok Sabha election outcomes, the BJP’s state and central leadership has stepped up efforts in Jharkhand as all five seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes were lost by the party. Khunti, Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Dumka, and Rajmahal are the names of the seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the India Alliance parties had secured victory in just 2 seats (Rajmahal and Singhbhum), while this time they have won all 5 seats.
The consequences of Hemant Soren’s arrest were apparent in the Lok Sabha election outcomes, particularly in the tribal belt constituencies. The BJP is also worried because in four out of the five Lok Sabha seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the margin of defeat was over 1.2 lakh votes. It was defeated only in Dumka constituency with a margin of 23 thousand votes.
Samir Oraon, the National President of BJP’s Scheduled Tribe Front, was defeated in the Lohardaga seat election by a margin of 1.39 lakh votes. This is undoubtedly a major loss for the party. BJP has attempted to attract tribal voters by including prominent tribal leader and ex-Chief Minister Champai Soren in its ranks.
In Jharkhand, there are 28 seats allocated for scheduled tribes. 9 seats are specifically set aside for scheduled castes. In this scenario, the presence of SC and ST voters plays a crucial role in determining the outcome of elections for about half of the seats in forming the government of any political party. In Jharkhand, about 26% of the population belongs to the ST community, while approximately 12% of the population belongs to the SC community.
The BJP has brought attention to the alleged infiltration and demographic shift in tribal regions during the assembly elections. During his election rallies, Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that infiltrators in Jharkhand are marrying tribal women to seize opportunities for jobs and land. Nishikant Dubey, the BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, is known for speaking out about this problem.
The BJP is trying to attract the tribals by spreading the message that their lives are at risk from ‘Muslim infiltration’ in the Santhal Pargana region, and that the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand is supporting the infiltrators.
Alternatively, the All India Alliance might soon reveal its allocation of seats. Following his release from prison, Chief Minister Hemant Soren criticized the BJP and the NDA. Soren has alleged that the BJP is using central investigative agencies improperly to frame him.