Ranchi: On 17 June, just 13 days after the results of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP leadership appointed Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as in-charge for the assembly elections in Jharkhand and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as co-in-charge. This was after the prominent BJP state leaders were wiped out in the tribal areas.

Three months have passed since then, Sarma has visited the poll-bound state at least 16 times, mostly for two-day trips. From meeting tragedy-hit families to listening ‘Mann Ki Baat’ with tribals, the BJP strategist is criss-crossing the state in his mission to topple the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress combine in the elections.

After this, the series of meetings and brainstorming of both the election-in charges with the party leaders and workers in Jharkhand intensified. One of the first things that Sarma did was to meet senior state leaders Arjun Munda, Sudarshan Bhagat, Sameer Oraon, Geeta Koda, Sita Soren, and Arun Oraon to find out the reasons for the BJP’s wipeout in tribal areas. Many of these leaders had lost in the Lok Sabha seats reserved for scheduled tribes.

Along with this, Sarma opened a new front against the ruling parties on the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators and demographic change in Santhal Pargana.

Going with this electoral plank, Sarma told reporters in Ranchi on 14 September that the existence of tribals is in danger due to infiltrators. He referred to an affidavit submitted by the Centre in the Jharkhand High Court to buttress his point. National Register of Citizens is needed in Jharkhand and the state government should take concrete steps to implement the NRC,he said.

Former Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda told ThePrint that both the leaders sent by Delhi were experienced and shrewd strategists.

“Sarma’s continuous meetings with party leaders and workers and his reachout to the common people has increased the difficulties of both JMM and Hemant Soren. Himanta ji knows how to bring out the potential of the workers. He presents himself as a worker and not as a big face or leader. He does not spread animosity. He also understands the tribal sentiments and issues very well,” the BJP state spokesperson added.

BJP legislator Anant Ojha also lauded the role being essayed by the two senior leaders. “The problems of the ruling parties are going to increase further due to the experience and election preparations of Chouhan and Sarma. Himanta Biswa is outspoken. He opposes the politics of appeasement. He is vocal on every important question, including Bangladeshi infiltrators. He connects directly with the BJP workers in his speeches. This is what bothers the JMM-Congress,” the Rajmahal MLA said.

As expected, the JMM and Chief Minister Hemant Soren have taken swipes at Sarma for driving a wedge among the people.  “BJP leaders coming from outside are engaged in dividing the society. They keep on blabbering nonsense. They focus on Hindus, Muslims and Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Soren said, without naming Sarma and Chouhan.

Jharkhand is likely to vote in November-December.

“As the picture emerges in Jharkhand’s electoral politics, one thing is clear that Sarma has caused a stir in the ruling parties. Even the BJP is keeping a tab on his next move,” Sambhunath Choudhary, a visiting faculty in mass communication department of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi, told ThePrint.

“A CM of another state spending about a month in Jharkhand during the past 100 days as election co-in-charge says a lot. He is considered a strategist, who calculates and manipulates to gain power. Obviously, he can explore possibilities not only during the elections but also after its results. The JMM realises this (aspect),” he added.

Also Read: How ex-CM Champai Soren’s induction into BJP affects JMM in Jharkhand polls

Pakur, Bengabad visit hit headlines

During these three months, Sarma’s visit to Bengabad (Giridih) and Pakur especially was covered widely by the media. On 1 August, Sarma arrived on a two-day visit during which he reached KKM College hostel in Pakur, where a clash between tribal students and police took place on the night of 26 July.

He met the tribal students and also demanded a probe into the incident and action against the guilty police personnel.

Later, Sarma visited Gaibathan village in Pakur district, where a clash took place on 18 July between local tribals and another group, whom the BJP labelled as infiltrators, over a land dispute. He then accused the Jharkhand government of preventing him from visiting Gopinathpur, where the BJP had said that two groups had clashed around Muharram.

On 2 August, the Jharkhand chief minister slammed his Assam counterpart for engaging in “hate politics”. “Their (BJP) CM’s state is drowning due to floods and instead of saving his people, he is here to divide the society. I sent him flood relief but he only does hate politics here,” Soren said.

Sarma and BJP state president Babulal Marandi then reached Bengabad in Giridih district to meet the relatives of Havaldar Chouhan Hembram, who was killed by a convicted prisoner in a Hazaribag hospital on 12 August. “No legislator either from the JMM or the Congress met the family of the tribal victim yet,” Sarma said after meeting the mother of Hembram.

In the last week of August, Sarma joined tribal communities in Huanghatu village of Ranchi district to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s radio message ‘Mann Ki Baat’. He also discussed the election strategy with the booth workers of the villages during this visit.

Recently, on 8 September, he met the aggrieved families of two youths who lost their lives during the physical test for the Jharkhand excise constable recruitment exam. So far, there have been 14 deaths and the BJP is blaming the government’s negligence for these tragedies.

The next day, Sarma told the media at Ranchi airport that 12-14 MLAs from the Congress and two-three from the JMM were in regular contact with him, but added that there was not enough places in the BJP to accommodate them.

The Jharkhand government then seemingly changed its tact to take on Sarma and Chouhan, when it wrote to the Election Commission to restrain the BJP Jharkhand in-charge and co-in-charge to stop “instigating communal tension” using official machinery for “narrow political gains”.

But that did not stop Sarma on his tracks. On 19 September, launching a frontal attack on  Soren, the Assam CM accused him of hosting and welcoming the Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) leaders but “showing disdain” to the BJP leaders, including Amit Shah.

This broadside was after an IUML delegation met Soren for a “courtesy visit” at his residence in Ranchi.

“Even though Himanta Biswa Sarma is seen as a key strategist of the North East, he is not a serious leader. He is a player of the Hindu-Muslim card on the political chessboard. Also, he gives witty answers to any question or his statement, which attracts people,” political analyst Baijnath Mishra told ThePrint.

“One thing is clear that for the Jharkhand polls, Chouhan and Sarma are in different roles. But Chouhan’s strategy and political experience can be more effective for the BJP than Sarma.”

JMM legislator Dashrath Gagrai told ThePrint that Sarma was sent to Jharkhand with the twin tasks of poaching the leaders of other parties and to disturb the public welfare work being done by the Hemant Soren government.

It was Sarma who announced in August last week that former chief minister and JMM veteran Champai Soren was switching to the BJP.

“Sarma is trying to pitchfork himself before the central leadership by carrying out these two tasks. If the Assam CM is so concerned about the tribals of Jharkhand, then why don’t the tribals of other states, who have been living in Assam for decades, be called Scheduled Tribes instead of tea tribes,” Gagrai, the Kharsawan MLA, said.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

Also Read: Why PM Modi & all BJP, JMM heavyweights are making a beeline for poll-bound Jharkhand’s Kolhan