BJP likely to get a jolt in tribal seats of Jharkhand, trends suggest
Ranchi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has dominated the last three Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand, is in for a shock in Jharkhand's five tribal seats - Khunti, Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Rajmahal and Dumka.
The ruling JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand is leading in all five seats with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha showing a good performance in three seats - Singhbhum, Rajmahal and Dumka.
Despite the saffron party counting on its campaign against corruption, including ED and CBI raids on former Jharkhand CM and JMM executive president Hemant Soren and ruling alliance partner Congress' leaders, law and order issues, it seems the JMM could arouse tribal sentiments of "injustice being meted out to Hemant Soren."
The Congress is leading in the Khunti and Lohardaga Lok Sabha constituencies.
In Khunti, Union minister and sitting MP Arjun Munda was trailing Congress's Kalicharan Munda by around 1.09 lakh votes, according to the Election Commission.
Likewise, in Lohardaga, Sukhdeo Bhagat of Congress was leading by 49,584 votes.
In Singhbhum, JMM's Joba Manjhi was leading by 80,393 votes over her nearest rival Geeta Kora of the BJP after the seventh round of counting, officials said.
Kora, wife of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, joined the BJP just ahead of Lok Sabha polls. She was the lone Congress MP in the state.
JMM's Vijay Hansdak was leading by 41,684 votes over BJP's Tala Marandi in the Rajmahal (ST) seat.
In Dumka, BJP's Sita Soren who was leading earlier over JMM's Nalin Soren is now trailing by 3,902 votes in a tight contest. Sita, a three-time JMM legislator, too joined the BJP just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
While the BJP had won Khunti and Lohardaga in 2019, Singhbhum was won by Congress.
Dumka and Rajmahal were won by BJP and JMM respectively in 2019.
A massive campaign was done in these seats by INDIA Bloc leaders including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren who is credited with infusing a new life in JMM.
Polls were held in Singhbhum, Khunti and Lohardaga on May 13 while Dumka and Rajmahal went to polls on June 1.
Six of the 14 LS seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, and the opposition INDIA bloc played the victim card over the arrest of former CM Hemant Soren, who belongs to the tribal community.
Insiders say that infighting within the BJP also played spoilsport for the party.
In 2019, NDA won 12 seats in the state while Congress and JMM claimed one seat each.
