Ranchi: The BJP, which had dominated the last three Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, faced a significant setback on Tuesday in the state's five tribal constituencies - Khunti, Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Rajmahal, and Dumka.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance won all five seats, performing particularly well in Singhbhum, Rajmahal, and Dumka.
Despite the BJP's campaign focusing on corruption, including ED and CBI raids on former Jharkhand CM and JMM executive president Hemant Soren, as well as law and order issues, the JMM succeeded in galvanising tribal sentiments by highlighting perceived injustices against Soren.
The Congress secured victories in Khunti and Lohardaga constituencies. In Khunti, Union minister and incumbent MP Arjun Munda suffered a resounding defeat, losing to Congress's Kalicharan Munda by 1.49 lakh votes, according to the Election Commission.
Similarly, in Lohardaga, Congress's Sukhdeo Bhagat defeated BJP's Samir Oraon by 1.39 lakh votes.
In Singhbhum, JMM's Joba Majhi won by a substantial margin of 1.68 lakh votes, defeating BJP's Geeta Kora, the wife of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who had joined the BJP just before the Lok Sabha elections.
In Rajmahal, JMM's Vijay Hansdak won by 1.78 lakh votes, defeating BJP's Tala Marandi.
In Dumka, JMM's Nalin Soren narrowly defeated BJP's Sita Soren by 22,527 votes in a closely contested race.
Sita, a three-time JMM legislator, had joined the BJP shortly before the elections, causing discontent among the party's ranks. The BJP had initially announced sitting MP Sunil Soren as their candidate but later replaced him with Sita Soren.
In 2019, the BJP had won the Khunti and Lohardaga seats, while Singhbhum was won by Congress, Dumka by BJP, and Rajmahal by JMM.
A vigorous campaign was led by INDIA bloc leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Kalpana Soren, the wife of jailed former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, credited with revitalizing the JMM.
Elections were held in Singhbhum, Khunti, and Lohardaga on May 13, while Dumka and Rajmahal voted on June 1. Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, six are reserved for SC and ST candidates. The opposition INDIA bloc leveraged the arrest of former CM Hemant Soren, a tribal community member, to play the victim card.
Insiders suggest that infighting within the BJP also contributed to their poor performance.
In 2019, the NDA won 12 out of 14 seats in the state, with Congress and JMM each securing one seat.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren credited the INDIA Bloc's success in the tribal seats to overwhelming public support. He stated, "The way you have supported the Alliance candidates despite false allegations and propaganda is significant for us. They (BJP) tried to suppress our voice but failed."
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