The Jharkhand Assembly election results seem to have delivered a significant blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the JMM-led I.N.D.I.A bloc securing a lead and positioning itself to retain power in the state. With this, Chief Minister Hemant Soren is on course for a second consecutive term in the state. The I.N.D.I.A bloc’s performance has reaffirmed its dominance in Jharkhand, successfully countering the BJP’s aggressive campaign.
The INDIA bloc led in 55 seats out of total 81, with the NDA trailing at 26. The JMM alone led in 33 seats.With 200-plus rallies, the husband-wife duo of Hemand Soren and Kalpana Soren led the JMM campaign, asking for votes in favour of their welfare schemes.
The popular schemes are Maiyya Samman Yojna, a direct benefit transfer of Rs 1,000 to all underprivileged women between 18-50 years of age; waiver of power dues of 40 lakh families to the tune of Rs 3,500 crore; and universalisation of pension of Rs 1,000 to 40 lakh people in Jharkhand.
For Hemant, it is a personal triumph after spending time in jail in the early part of the year over money laundering allegations and carrying the bulk of the burden of the INDIA bloc campaign. Barring Champai Soren, the JMM also managed to hold its flock together, with the feared exodus to the BJP not happening.
Kalpana lived true to the promise she showed as an orator after emerging from the shadows during Hemant’s five-month imprisonment, and effectively shouldered the campaign. Her appeal was seen as cutting across caste groups, with many JMM leaders seeking her to campaign for them. The Sorens also tapped into Adivasi concerns, and conveyed that the tribal identity would be in danger under a BJP-led government.
With the results, Hemant has emerged as the undisputed face of the INDIA bloc in the state, with the Congress barely registering during the campaign. If its tally of lead in 16 seats out of 30 it contested, at 3 pm, may be the same as 2019, it is largely the result of the JMM shoring it up.
