Jharkhand: BJP bags highest share of votes, but not enough from tribals

The worst fears of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Jharkhand have come true as the alliance has been defeated for the second consecutive time by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led INDIA bloc. What is even more problematic for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is that the loss of momentum in Jharkhand which started during the Lok Sabha polls when the BJP-led NDA could win six of the 10 seats has continued as the NDA could only win 24 seats of the total 81.

However, not all is lost for the BJP. Even though it is facing a second consecutive defeat in the state polls, the BJP has managed to get nearly 32 per cent votes, which is the highest in the state for any political party. The JMM, which is set to form the government in the state, has managed to get 23 per cent votes.

“It is a fact that the BJP did not win the election in Jharkhand. We were confident that the BJP would do well in Jharkhand and win the polls but we respect the mandate of the people. Even though the BJP has lost the elections, it is still the single largest party in terms of votes. We can say this with confidence that most people of Jharkhand have voted for the BJP. The people of Jharkhand have given the maximum number of votes to the BJP and we will fulfil the responsibility given by the people of the state,” RP Singh, national spokesperson of the BJP, told The Federal.

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Tribal challenge for BJP

While the BJP leadership is upbeat that it has the highest vote share in Jharkhand and most people in the state have chosen it, the real challenge for the party is that of the total 32 reserved seats for the Scheduled Tribe (STs), it managed to win only one. The loss of the tribal-dominated seats is in continuation of the general election results in which the NDA lost all the tribal-dominated Lok Sabha constituencies and won the general seats. The only consolation for the BJP is that Champai Soren, the former chief minister who recently migrated to the BJP from JMM, won his seat.

“Two elections have taken place in Jharkhand in quick succession and it is clear that the BJP is not getting as many votes from the tribal community as it would have liked. The BJP has some prominent leaders such as Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda, who have both been chief ministers of the state, but they are not able to attract the tribal votes for the BJP. The party played a gamble by inducting Champai Soren with the hope that his presence would solve the problem of tribal votes but that has also not been fruitful,” a senior BJP leader from Jharkhand told The Federal.

Leadership crisis

The outcome of the assembly elections in Jharkhand suggests that the BJP-led NDA is facing a leadership crisis in the state. While Babulal Marandi, the state president of the BJP, has managed to win his own seat, his presence did not help win over the tribal voters of the state. Interestingly, Marandi, the first chief minister of Jharkhand, had decided to contest a general seat this time instead of one reserved for tribals.

Also Watch: JMM sweeps tribal strongholds in Jharkhand despite BJP’s strong campaign

The case is no different for former Union minister Arjun Munda, who also lost his seat during the Lok Sabha elections, and this time too, neither of them could help the BJP get the tribal votes of Jharkhand.

“It is absolutely clear in Jharkhand that Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda may not be able to help the BJP win elections. The tribal people of the state have made it clear that Marandi and Munda no longer attract tribal voters and they may not be able to help the BJP much. The BJP tried to get some tribal leaders from other parties as well but that has also not shown good results for the BJP,” a party leader from Jharkhand told The Federal.

Partners let NDA down

Political analysts believe that the BJP suffered not only because its own tribal leaders did not perform but also because NDA partner AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) could only win one seat.

“Most of the tribal leaders have lost the election. The NDA partner, AJSU, also could not perform well. There is a clear message from the tribal population against the BJP. The challenge for the BJP is immense because tribals are more than 30 per cent of the state population and JMM has managed to retain its hold amongst the tribal population,” Amit Kumar, a Doranda-based political analyst and member of Lokniti-CSDS, told The Federal.