- By Aditya Jha
- Sat, 23 Nov 2024 02:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Jharkhand Election Result 2024: The INDIA bloc is set to repeat its government in Jharkhand as the alliance, under the leadership of Hemant Soren, is on the way to forming a government for second consecutive terms. While the INDIA bloc is leading in nearly 50 seats, the BJP-led is ahead in 30 seats. The JMM-led alliance has proved most of the exit polls wrong as it leads in all the key regions of Jharkhand, including Chota Nagpur, Kolhan, Koylanchal, Palamu, and Santhal Pargana.
While the BJP-led alliance focused on factors ranging from corruption to illegal immigration, Soren decided to stick with the old formula—regional issues. As the top leaders of the saffron party attacked Soren of corruption and nepotism, he successfully portrayed that a tribal leader was framed in wrong charges by the central government. The BJP leaders throughout their campaign claimed that the "infiltrators" from Bangladesh were grabbing the jal, zameen, and jungle from the tribals.
They said that due to the wrong policies of the Soren government, Jharkhand's 'maati, beti, and roti' (land, daughter, and bread) were in danger. The BJP also claimed that the corruption was at its peak in the state under Soren's leadership.
However, Hemant Soren pivoted his campaign on his welfare schemes and spoke on economic equality among all the groups in the state. Soren mostly emphasised on his most discussed scheme, the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana, which enabled eligible women beneficiaries to receive Rs 1,000 per month. He also emphasised on the issue of tribal pride in his speeches, mentioning that he was tortured by the BJP-led central government because of his tribal identity. "They can't see a tribal leader rise and rule any state," he said in one of his speeches.
The Soren government declared to implement the "Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana" to provide financial assistance to the women of the state. The government provided an amount of Rs 1,000 per month to women beneficiaries, and the payments were directly deposited into their bank accounts by the 15th of every month. Soren emphasised that this scheme will empower the women.
Champai Soren, ex-Chief Minister of Jharkhand and senior leader of JMM, joined the saffron party ahead of the polls. He accused the party high command of ignoring him and not prioritising the interests of tribals. However, the effect of him joining the BJP seemed to be minimal, as JMM won most of the tribal seats of the state. The women and tribals could be the main reason behind the victory of JMM, as the Election Commission stated that 68 out of the 81 seats recorded a higher women turnout.