What 5 major players in Jharkhand Assembly polls have at stake

Since 2019: Soren has been instrumental in passing the Sarna Code resolution and the Jharkhand domicile Bill, among others, in the Assembly and pushed the ball to the Centre’s court. Facing investigations by central agencies, Soren and his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have attempted to build a narrative of “bahris (outsiders)”, a reference to the BJP, and “bhitris (insiders)”, referring to Adivasis and moolvasis.

This narrative succeeded in Adivasi areas and Soren’s popularity got a bump after he was jailed, with the INDIA alliance winning all five parliamentary seats reserved for tribals.

What is at stake: Soren’s credibility as a leader who is not under the shadow of his father Shibu Soren. He also has to shake off the image of corruption at the ground level during his tenure, something the Opposition has latched on to.

Babulal Marandi

Jharkhand’s first CM and state BJP president, Babulal Marandi was a schoolteacher before he joined the RSS and started on his political journey. He defeated JMM chief Shibu Soren from his then-citadel Dumka in the 1998 and 1999 Lok Sabha polls. Marandi’s domicile policy in 2002 generated a lot of controversy and created discord in the BJP. He ultimately parted ways with the BJP in 2006 and floated the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik).

Since 2019: The BJP brought Marandi back in 2020, months after its debacle in the Assembly elections in which its tally of Adivasi seats dropped from 11 to 2, while the JMM-led alliance won 25 of the 28 ST-reserved constituencies. In 2022, he was placed at the helm of the state unit.

What is at stake: The BJP leader has to prove that he still retains the magic touch. Though the BJP and its allies won all the non-reserved parliamentary constituencies in this year’s Lok Sabha polls, it failed to win any of the five ST-reserved constituencies. On October 21, Marandi received a shot in the arm after the Jharkhand High Court quashed criminal proceedings against his political aide Sunil Tiwari in a rape case. Marandi had faced pushback within the party over this case.

Himanta Biswa Sarma 

The Assam Chief Minister has single-handedly set the narrative in this election around the issue of alleged infiltration by undocumented migrants in the Santhal Pargana division. The region accounts for 18 of the 28 ST-reserved constituencies and denting the JMM here will give the BJP an advantage.

Since June 17, when he was appointed the BJP’s Jharkhand co-in-charge, Sarma has worked on creating the perception of BJP’s winnability. He has set a target of winning at least 10 ST-reserved constituencies, inducted former CM Champai Soren and his son, and Lobin Hembrom, another JMM old-timer.

Since 2019: Sarma’s rise in the BJP has been nothing short of meteoric. He became the Assam Chief Minister after the 2021 elections and helped steer the party’s Northeast alliance, overseeing victories in various states in the region. He also is one of the BJP’s star campaigners in almost all elections across the country.

What is at stake: This is the first time Sarma has been given a free hand in a state election outside the Northeast and is a big test for the Assam CM.

Champai Soren 

Born to a family of farmers in Saraikela-Kharsawan district, Champai Soren joined the movement for a separate Jharkhand quite young. As the statehood movement picked pace in the 1970s — the JMM was formed in 1973 — Champai Soren started mobilising people for the cause.

He started his electoral journey in 1995, winning the Saraikela Assembly seat as an Independent. He lost the constituency to the BJP five years later but has won all four elections since, becoming one of the key JMM leaders.

Since 2019: As Hemant Soren faced arrest earlier this year, Champai was appointed CM in what was a temporary measure. He held the fort for five months and had to make way for Hemant after he got out of prison in June. During his five months in power, the JMM veteran steered the party through the Lok Sabha elections.

Despite stepping down as CM, tension continued to simmer between the JMM leadership and him. Champai eventually quit the party after accusing it of humiliating him and joined the BJP in August. However, Hemant Soren’s camp alleged Champai had refused to listen to the CM and that his aides had started a “parallel transfer posting” channel.

What is at stake: In short, Champai Soren’s political relevance in state politics. The BJP has fielded both him, from his turn Saraikella, and his son Babulal, from Ghatshila.

Kalpana Soren

Kalpana, Hemant Soren’s wife, stepped in to steady the party as her husband increasingly faced heat from the central agencies over the past year. After his arrest, as she stepped into the limelight, seeking votes for the JMM and campaigning about his innocence, she surprised people with her oratorical skills. In June, she made her electoral politics debut, winning an Assembly bypoll from Gandey in Giridih district.

What is at stake: Kalpana is the face of the Maiya Samman Yojna Yatra that the JMM has started to reach out to women and young voters, making it the centrepiece of its re-election efforts. This election will be the test of her political mettle and reveal if she is accepted as a pan-Jharkhand face.