Jharkhand battle

THE first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held today under the shadow of all-too-familiar raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Central agency is conducting a money laundering probe linked to the alleged infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into the state. The BJP has made illegal immigration a key poll plank in Jharkhand, apparently taking a leaf out of Donald Trump’s divisive playbook during his presidential campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders have accused the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government of supporting infiltrators whose influx could alter the demographic profile of tribal-dominated areas. Home Minister Amit Shah has promised that if voted to power, the BJP would set up a committee to identify illegal immigrants and drive them out.

The coalition government, which also includes the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, is on the back foot due to allegations of corruption. Chief Minister Hemant Soren spent five months in jail this year after he was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam. Taking the moral high ground, Soren had stepped down soon after his arrest, but he was quick to reclaim his chair following his release. The CM and his party are playing the victim card to the hilt, even as the ED continues to be under judicial scrutiny for its perceived overzealousness and overreach.

The BJP has been patting itself on the back for giving India its first President from a tribal community, Droupadi Murmu, who also served as the Jharkhand Governor. This factor, coupled with anti-incumbency, had helped the party win eight Lok Sabha seats out of 14 this year in the state where tribal people account for one-fourth of the population. The BJP is hoping for a similarly good performance in the Assembly elections. The JMM and its allies, which have pledged to prioritise tribal rights and welfare issues, have their work cut out.