Shashank Shekhar
Ranchi ( Jharkhand) : The BJP led NDA is leaving no stone unturned to win all the four Lok Sabha seats: Giridih, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, and Singhbhum, going to the polls on May 12, 2019, in the 6th phase of General Elections 2019. The NDA had won all these four seats in 2014 General Elections. It is sitting pretty in at least two of the four parliamentary constituencies (PCs) having a clear edge over the opposition parties.
The BJP is contesting three of these four seats itself : Singhbhum represented by Laxman Gilua, Jamshedpur represented by Vidyut Charaan Mahto, and Dhanbad represented by two time winner PN Singh. It has left Giridih seat to its alliance partner AJSU though its sitting MP Ravindra Pandey (BJP) has won this seat 5 times. The AJSU has fielded Jharkhand Minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary from Giridih.
Though the BJP has a definite edge on the urban booths in all the four PCs seats comprising 826 booths in urban areas in Giridih, 1,328 booths in Dhanbad, 683 booths in Jamshedpur, and 250 booths in Singhbhum constituency.
On the other hand, 1,835 booths falling in Giridih constituency lie in rural belt followed by 1,216 in Dhanbad, 1,202 in Jamshedpur, and 1,465 rural booths in Singhbhum. The 5,718 booths in rural zones in these 4 PC are dominated by 3Ms—Manjhi (tribal), Mahtos, and Muslims.
On Girdih seat, 15 candidates are in fray but the main contest is between JMM leader Jagganath Mahto, the Mahagathbandhan candidate, and AJSU candidate Chandra Prakash Choudhary who is being branded at an outsider by his rivals as he hails from Ramgarh. In 2014 elections, Jagganath Mahto had lost Ravindra Pandey. (BJP) by 39,000 votes though it led in 3 out of 5 assembly segments. Both Jagganath Mahto and Choudhary are Mahtos and Giridih is a Mahto, who account for 55% of the voters in the constituency. But majority of tribals, Scheduled Castes and Muslims, who constitute 40 percent of population here, appear inclined towards for the JMM making things that much difficult to retain this seat.
On the other hand, two times MP P N Singh of Dhanbad has an edge over Congress nominee and former cricketer Kirti Azad, sitting MP from Darbhanga in Bihar, who is being branded as an outsider. Twenty candidates are in fray in Dhanbad PC. Though in 2014 elections P N Singh had won this seat by over 2.60 lakh votes defeating Ajay Dubey of Congress but last time even CPI (Marxist coordination committee) had contested this seat and polled 1.25 lakh votes. This year it has extended its support to the Congress.
That apart, the BJP candidate is facing two problems in this election— first, present Jharia BJP MLA Sanjiv Singh of ‘Singh Mansion’ is behind bars. His younger brother Sidharth Gautam is also in contest and sure to poll good votes in Jharia and Dhanbad assembly segments besides snatching away Rajput votes. More than 2.50 lakh labourers belonging to different labour unions are also opposing the BJP.
Kirti Azad is banking heavily on Muslims (3 lakh Muslims), Yadavs ( 2.50 lakh), tribal (1.50 lakh) besides Brahmins who constitute 1.40 lakh votes besides labourers .
BJP nominee P N Singh stated that as there is Modi wave in entire Dhanbad zone, no one can stop him from winning as most of his booths are in urban zones and youth are with him.
In Jamshedpur, it is direct contest between BJP’s Vidyut Baran Mahto and JMM’s Champai Soren though 23 cadidates are in fray here. In this PC, there are 5 lakh tribals, 3 lakh Mahtos, 2 lakh Muslims, and 2 lakhs SCs besides other mixed caste.The BJP is banking heavily on Mahtos as its candidate comes from Mahto caste besides on urban voters while the JMM is banking on tribals along with Muslims and labourers working in factories. As Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das comes from this zone, he is striving hard to win this seat. As of now, the BJP nominees appears to have an edge over his rivals.
In tribal dominated Singhbhum PC, only 9 candidates are in fray but the main contest is between BJP president Lakashman Gilua and Congress nominee Geeta Koda, wife of former CM Madhu Koda. As tribals in Jharkhand are not supporting whole heartedly Raghubar Das government due to Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Acts, Congress nominee Geeta Koda hopes to sail through as the rural population appears inclined towards the Mahagathbandhan.
Former CM Hemant Soren alleged that outsiders (pointing to Raghubar Das) has grabbed rights of tribals and ruling the tribal state making false promises and inviting corporate houses to Jharkhand, who will in long run take away tribal land which is now known to every tribal and the BJP will have to pay a heavy price for it. “Tthe BJP will fail to win even 3 seats in Jharkhand this time though last time it had won 12 of the 14 seats in the state,” stated Hemant Soren giving a sarcastic smile.