RANCHI: Turncoats, who switched sides just before the elections or after being denied tickets, have emerged as the first preference of both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. Each alliance has awarded tickets to 13 turncoats, including prominent figures like Champai Soren.
Nine of them -- Babulal Marandi, Sita Soren, Amit Yadav, Saryu Roy, Kamlesh Singh, Jai Prakash Bhai Patel, Kedar Hajra, and Lobin Hembrom – are MLAs.
For the BJP, there will be a challenge for Muslim-supporting leaders to harmonise with the party’s Hindu nationalist workers. Meanwhile, for JMM, BJP leaders with a Hindutva image may face potential challenges in building harmony with Muslim and tribal organisations.
According to JMM insiders, party’s Muslim and tribal workers feel that these defected leaders from the BJP could weaken the party’s core ideological foundation due to their past affiliation with the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
Similarly in BJP, leaders known as prominent supporters of the Muslim community may create disharmony among the party workers. However, if the party leadership plays a critical role in ensuring smooth coordination, this disagreement can be resolved, though it is likely that some ideological conflicts may persist.
Former Ministers Kamlesh Singh and Loius Marandi are the two prominent examples. Kamlesh Singh, who won 2014 Assembly polls from NCP ticket, and had close ties with the Muslim community in Hussainabad, has now joined BJP and will seek votes on Hindutva ideology.
Former BJP minister Louis Marandi, who defeated CM Hemant Soren in the 2014 Assembly elections as the BJP candidate from Dumka, has joined JMM and will seek votes from those who had opposed her during the last elections.