RANCHI: The BJP has lost all five seats reserved for the tribal community in Jharkhand. The constituencies the BJP lost are Khunti, Lohardaga, Singhbhum, Rajmahal and Dumka.
While the Congress pocketed Khunti and Lohardaga, JMM won in Singhbhum, Rajmahal and Dumka.
In the 2019, BJP had won two of the five constituencies namely Rajmahal and Singhbhum.
The BJP losers
Union Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda lost to Congress’ Kalicharan Munda in Khunti, Sita Soren lost to JMM’s old warhorse and seasoned seven-time MLA Nalin Soren in Dumka. The BJP had fielded three times JMM MLA Sita Soren in Dumka after withdrawing its official nominee and sitting MP Sunil Soren.
Former Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda, who joined BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha election, lost to JMM’s Joba Manjhi in Singhbhum. In Lohardaga, BJP replaced its sitting MP Sudarshan Bhagat with Sameer Oraon to beat anti-incumbency, but he too lost to Sukhdev Bhagat of the Congress party.
The JMM succeeded in retaining Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat where Vijay Hansdak defeated Tala Marandi of the BJP. This, despite the fact that the BJP, after facing defeat in the 2019 assembly elections, took several steps to bring the tribals on board. It also roped in the party’s old-timer Babulal Marandi to lead the party in Jharkhand.
Who is Who
Sita Soren, is the elder daughter in law of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren and three times MLA from Jama Assembly seat in Dumka, was married to Durga Soren, the elder brother of Hemant Soren. Whereas, Geeta Koda is the wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, the independent MLA, who became Chief Minister of the State in the year 2006.
Modi's efforts in vain.
Prime Minister Naradra Modi launched a mega-development programme for tribals, particularly primitive tribes from Jharkhand. The government declared tribal icon Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ but all of them could not convince the tribals, who primarily wanted a guarantee to save their land and forest.
Modi also became the first Prime Minister to visit Birsa Munda’s birthplace Ulihatu in Khnuti.
The beneficiaries of PM Modi’s welfare schemes were there, but the schemes launched by Hemant Soren endeared them to the JMM this time.