Hemant Soren.
Credit: PTI Photo
Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday accused the BJP of maligning his and the state's image through "shadow campaigns", an allegation that the saffron camp dismissed, claiming the JMM leader had already "conceded defeat" in the assembly polls.
Soren alleged that the saffron camp has been "spending crores of money on various social media platforms" and "created 95,000 Whatsapp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in the state.
Hitting out at the saffron party, Soren claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees" but he believed it was "better to stick to principles rather than securing a win through unfair means".
The BJP claimed that these allegations showed "Soren's desperation and frustration".
"Soren's posts show his desperation and frustration. He has understood that he has lost the battle and is posting such remarks in sheer hopelessness. The allegations are fabricated, false and beyond truth," BJP's former state president and senior leader Deepak Prakash said.
The allegations were made at a time when the polling was underway in 43 of the 81 assembly constituencies in the state in the first phase of elections.
"I want to present an important report to you. Crores of rupees have been spent on Facebook advertisements by the BJP to damage my and the state's image through a 'shadow campaign'.
"In the last 30 days, advertisements worth Rs 72 lakh have been given from various social media accounts like 'Jharkhand Chaupal', 'Ranchi Chaupal'. If you see the content of these pages, you will understand that their sole purpose is to tarnish my and the state's image, spread religious frenzy and make people fight among themselves," Soren alleged in a post on X.
Despite filing a complaint with the Election Commission, no action was taken, he claimed.
"Also, the image of the state and its citizens is being continuously tarnished by creating more than 95,000 WhatsApp groups," Soren alleged.
The chief minister claimed that while the BJP "spent crores of rupees to tarnish his image", he did "not spend a single rupee on any promotion which can be verified by visiting the ad library of any social media".
"We believe that it is better to stick to your principles than to win by unfair means," the JMM leader said.
He alleged, "Dictators may have made billions of rupees selling fake vaccines and medicines, but that will never enable them to make real progress. You people are my real strength. From the time I went to jail till today, you have always supported me - for this, I am very grateful to you all."
In another post, Soren claimed that the JMM has never believed in indulging in "divisive politics like the BJP-led NDA".
"It is easy to choose the path of violence, but it is a symbol of cowardice," he said.
Soren alleged, "Today the BJP-led NDA only wants to divert the attention of the public by raising religious issues and disputes with neighbouring countries because they do not have any real issues. They have no solution to serious issues like rising inflation, unemployment and infiltration across the Chinese border. They provide shelter to Bangladeshi fugitives, and after failing to protect the border with Bangladesh, they are now blaming others."
The JMM leader also attacked the saffron camp for its "infiltration narrative" in the assembly polls, claiming that "Jharkhand is hundreds of kilometres away from the Bangladesh border - but the neighbouring country seems to be close to the BJP's heart".
He appealed to the voters to support JMM and promised that he would do "10 years of work in the next five years so that no one could stop the pace of progress".
In all, 1.37 crore voters are likely to participate in the first phase of voting.
A total of 683 candidates, including 73 women, and one third-gender candidate, are competing for 43 seats in the first phase of polls.
These seats are divided into 17 general, 20 scheduled tribe, and 6 scheduled caste constituencies.
To facilitate the voting process, 15,344 polling stations have been set up, with 1,152 managed entirely by women and 24 booths manned by specially-abled people.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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