With the first phase of polling in Jharkhand just 15 days away, the state is set for a polarising debate as the BJP leaders have been raising the issue of demographic change.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the co-in-charge of the BJP’s campaign in the state, said if the saffron party is voted to power, it will bring a national register for citizenship (NRC) in tribal dominated Singhal Pragana.
What Sarma said on Monday had been echoed in the earlier occasions by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan, who is the BJP’s state election in-charge. Home Minister Amit Shah, too, had raised the issue of illegal immigrants from across the border settling in the state leading to the tribal population percentage going down.
The campaign is set to pick up in the coming days when high profile rallies by senior leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, and UP CM Yogi Adityanath commence. The BJP is pulling out all the stops to wrest control of the state from the JMM government. It has rewarded the turncoats who joined the party with tickets. Former state CM Champai Soren has been given a ticket along with his son, a rarity for the party to give tickets for two in the same family for the same elections.
The party has also given tickets to the family members of other former CMs. It has fielded Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda and former CM Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda. Poornima, daughter-in-law of Raghubar Das, too, was also given ticket, as did Sita Soren, the daughter-in-law of Shibhu Soren.
The aim of giving tickets to the relatives of the senior leaders is to keep their captive vote banks engaged. The state polls are keenly fought with small victory margins expected in over a dozen seats. The BJP is banking on the women voters whom they have promised to give Rs 2,100 per month as they had done in Haryana.
The focus on women is understandable as there are 32 constituencies out of 81 where women voters are more than men. Of these 32 seats, 26 are reserved for scheduled tribes.
The BJP has also promised to give subsidised LPG cylinders. To woo tribal voters, Modi also announced to celebrate 150 years of tribal hero Birsa Munda.
The polling will take place in two phases, November 13 and 20. The results will be declared on November 23.
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