BJP's experiment to be tested in Jharkhand

The BJP's bold political experiment, which it had done in 2014, by appointing chief ministers from hitherto non-dominating political castes in three states will be put to test for the third consecutive time.

This time it will be in Jharkhand where the BJP is contesting elections under the leadership of a non-tribal chief minister, Raghubar Das.

In 2014, the BJP had appointed Das as chief minister of Jharkhand, which has 27% tribal population and has always had a tribal chief minister since 2000.

Months before breaking the norm in Jharkhand, the BJP had similarly chosen non-Maratha chief minister (Devendra Fadnavais) in Maharashtra and a non-Jat (Manohar Lal Khattar) in Haryana.

In both the states, the BJP’s performance was down from the past time and politically assertive Marathas and Jats seem to preferred other choices.

The BJP lost 19 seats in Maharashtra and 7 seats in Haryana.

In Maharashtra, it is now in the Opposition after NDA ally the Shiv Sena walked out of the alliance on the issue of chief ministership and hitched its wagon to the NCP and the Congress.

In Haryana, the BJP had to ally with a predominantly Jat party, the Jannayak Janata Party led by Dushyant Chautala, to form government by offering Chautala deputy chief ministership.

Jats constitute 30% of total population in Haryana while Marathas are nearly 31% in Maharashtra.

In Jharkhand, the Opposition alliance of JMM-Congress and RJD is led by the state’s most prominent leader Sibu Soren’s son Hemant Soren.

Tribal people have not taken kindly to the “snatching” of leadership from their hand in a state which was created after decades-long massive agitation by tribal people for a separate state.

To make matters worse for the BJP, its erstwhile ally the AJSU led by Sudesh Mahato from the OBC Kurmi community with some good hold even among tribal people in his region, is contesting polls separately and has no qualms in switching sides.

With just five seats, Mahato had served as deputy chief minister in two rival governments in the past.

The BJP had not won a majority on its own in Jharkhand even in 2014 when it had clearly won Assembly polls in both Maharasthra and Haryana.

The BJP could manage to win 37 of the 82 seats in Jharkhand in 2014 and it could form government after getting support of five MLAs of the AJSU.

Later, six of the eight MLAs of Babulal Marnadi’s JVM (P) had shifted loyalty and joined the BJP. This is how, the Raghubar Das government could stay in power for five years.

This time apart from general anti-incumbency against the government in power, there are question over the popularity of Das and the state BJP unit is dissension ridden.

Once a veteran in party, Saryu Rai has turned rebel and is contesting against the chief minister.

The projection of Das, a non-tribal face, and the side-lining of party’s tribal leader Arjun Munda in state politics, who has been brought as Union minister, could have its ripple effect on the ground.

Though BJP leaders are making claims of a sure shot victory, the going seems to be getting tough for the saffron party, whose government in 2000 had created this state and given its first chief minister— Babulal Marandi, who later parted ways from the BJP.