Routed in 2019, how BJP is trying to regain ground in Jharkhand’s Kolhan belt For the past three years, the party has been focusing on the region, which has 14 Assembly seats. It has changed candidates in the 10 seats it is contesting, fielding some new faces, turncoats, and kin of some prominent The senior BJP leadership has chosen Kolhan — it consists of the districts of East Singhbhum.
West Singhbhum. Saraikela Kharsawan — to address rallies and unveil Central government schemes, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi having already visited the Kolhan belt twice this year. In a visit to Jamshedpur in East Singhbhum in September, the PM flagged off six Vande Bharat trains and laid the foundation stone of various Independent. This time, the JMM has again given tickets to nine of its sitting MLAs from the region.
In Majhgaon, it has fielded debutante Jagat Manjhi who is MP Jobha Manjhi’s son. BJP rebel Ganesh Mahli who joined the JMM before the coming Assembly polls will contest from Saraikela, taking on Champai Soren. The Jamshedpur East seat has been given to ally Congress, which has fielded its former state president Ajoy Kumar. The Congress has repeated the tickets of its two sitting MLAs: Banna Gupta from Jamshedpur West, and Sonaram Sinku from Jagannathpur.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the JMM won 11 seats in Kolhan, the Congress two, while one went to an Sensing the need to recalibrate its strategy in the region, the BJP has changed all its candidates in the 10 seats that it is contesting and fielded some new faces, turncoats, and the kin of prominent politicians. Its allies All Jharkhand Students Union Party and Janata Dal (United) have fielded candidates in three seats and one seat respectively.
Former Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda has been fielded from Potka. In Jamshedpur East, Purnima Das Sahu who is the daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor and former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das will face off against Ajoy Kumar. As incumbent CM, Das had lost the seat in 2019, making this a prestige battle for his daughter-in-law. In Ghatshila, Champai Soren’s son Babulal who is contesting on a BJP ticket will take on incumbent JMM MLA Ramdas Along with its developmental pitch, the BJP has been talking of alleged corruption in the Hemant Soren government, lack of jobs, and the “disrespect” meted out to Champai Soren when he was asked to step down as CM as part of its campaign.
The JMM has been relying on its key youth leader Kunal Sarangi who joined the BJP before the 2019 elections but returned to its fold last week. Sarangi is monitoring the campaign in some of the seats. The JMM-led alliance is also campaigning on its trusted welfare schemes such as the Maiyya Samman Yojna to fight the BJP.