Jharkhand election results: It’s 2019 again for BJP as tribal bastion defies polarization bid for a second time

NEW DELHI: At the peak of his popularity after a massive mandate in the Pulwama-powered 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi dug the knife deeper months later in Jharkhand when he remarked that he could identify the rioters by their clothes. It was the trope of polarization that was supposed to swing the mood in its favor and save the unpopular BJP in the tribal state. But he couldn’t defy the state’s tradition of ousting the incumbent president.
Five years later, the BJP sent fire-eaters Himanta Biswa Sarma and Shivraj Chouhan three months in advance to set the stage for polarization with scathing comments around the Hindu-Muslim divide, on which biggies cannons then fought their campaigns. But this time, they could not prevent the JMM-plus from defying the handicap of those in power.
Within five years, Jharkhand stood like a rock, standing in the way of communalism. In both cases, the tribes face Hemant Soren who triumphantly takes the stand.
This model highlighted the unique nature of the state carved out of Bihar, known for its tribal character but which has a predominant majority of OBCs; where the local party banks on three partners to strengthen its rainbow alliance, but opposes the BJP whose national strength and agenda seeks to overcome caste division through religious consolidation.
Indigenous leader Soren was the underdog, fighting against the might of the BJP hegemonic machine led by Modi’s life-size image backed by a strong who’s who cast.
A man who, after being under the hammer for over two years, was jailed in an alleged corruption case during the LS elections – the rival plan being to leave the underdog rudderless and then crush him. But Champai Soren, then Kalpana, his wife, mobilized and carried out tribal consolidation which produced decent results in the parliamentary elections. Six months later, the mood has only soared.
In hindsight, the BJP erred in treating Soren like the NCP and Shiv Sena or Congress leaders because it triggered an identity-based backlash that sank the frontrunners.
Yet the BJP’s combination of “name, network, resources and rhetoric” presented a huge challenge to overcome. They were all there: Modi, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath and Biswa Sarma. On the face of it, the JMM attracted the attention of the vast population as the underdog taking on the powerful, as its gentle manners and inclusive approach thwarted its rivals’ attempt at religious consolidation. This could only be possible if the tribes found allies in the sprawling OBC bloc and the minorities, along with a few others. Support from the monthly allowance “Maiyya Samman”, paid to women, played its role.
Ultimately, Jharkhand would be known as the state that bucked the trend and kept polarization at bay.