New Delhi: According to some political observers of Jharkhand politics, it will not be easy for the BJP to counter Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s rising popularity owing to the direct cash transfer scheme – Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana (JMMSY). Providing a monthly allowance of Rs 1000 to poor women in the age bracket of 21-50 years, the Soren government recently announced enhancing the allowance to Rs 2500 per month from December. This translates into Rs 30,000 per year. Soren has also waived agricultural loans worth Rs 400 crores of more than 1.75 lakh farmers last month.
The Vivah Sahayata Yojana that provides financial assistance of Rs 30,000 for the marriage of a female family member, Meethi Kranti Yojana (Sweet Revolution Scheme) providing interest-free farm loans are some other popular schemes of the
Jharkhand government. The combo has suddenly made CM Soren a very popular man in Jharkhand that goes to poll on
November 13 and 20.
Meanwhile, BJP has labelled Soren’s schemes a political gimmick to garner votes before the assembly elections. However,
realising that the Maiya Samman Yojana is earning wide traction amongst the 1.28 crore female voters of the state, BJP followed suit and announced that on coming to power in the state it will provide Rs 2100 per month through Gogo Didi Yojana.
Hemant and his politics
While claiming to financially empower over 50 lakh poor women of the state by Maiya Samman Yojana that was launched in
August this year, Soren does not forget reminding that he would have launched the scheme “five months earlier” had the
Opposition BJP (central government) not put him in jail in a “fake case”. He links his arrest with the insult of the ‘tribals’ and how the community has been repeatedly attacked and ignored by the saffron party.
Blocking due funds for Jharkhand (claims Rs 1.36 lakh crores) by the central government and putting obstacles in the development of Jharkhand are other allegations that Soren hurls at the BJP. He stresses that “he is a tribal” and would neither bow nor surrender before the “enemies of Jharkhand”.
Jharkhand is gearing up for a fierce battle between the ruling JMM-Congress-RLD alliance and the saffron party. Things have also become a bit personal for Soren after his arrest in an alleged land grabbing case in January this year. The defection of senior JMM leader Champai Soren to BJP has further added fuel to the fire.
BJP and the Bangladeshi migrants
Meanwhile, the BJP is not the one to be taken lightly. After launching the Parivartan Yatra that passed through all the 81
constituencies of the state and concluded on October 2, the party has put many senior leaders, former ministers, party cadres and workers from other states to campaign in Jharkhand. Apart from corruption and dynasty politics, infiltration of Bangladeshi migrants who are marrying the tribals and changing the demography of the region (Santhal Pargana) is one of the main BJP accusations against the JMM-led government of Soren. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Home Minister Amit Shah, every BJP leader talks about the issue in his speech with the promise that they will hunt and throw out every illegal migrant out of the state on coming to power.
Consolidating non-tribals?
Also, while Soren is talking about tribal pride, the BJP looks to be quietly and surely working for the consolidation of non-tribal voters. The tribals constitute about 27 per cent of the state population. And after the successful formula of non-Jat consolidation behind BJP in Haryana, the saffron party is likely to further sharpen the trick. However, it is not going to be as easy in Jharkhand considering the attractive welfare schemes like Maiya Samman Yojana of the Soren government.
The pre-poll JMM-led alliance of Congress, RLD and CPI-ML had won a clear majority in the 2019 assembly elections. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, however, the JMM alliance could only win 5 Lok Sabha seats out of 14 in the state with 39 per cent votes. The BJP and its ally (All Jharkhand Students Union) won 9 seats with 47 per cent votes.
This is a phenomenal performance which BJP should be proud of. However, considering the recent pattern in which people vote differently in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, BJP should not take anything for granted.
