A file phot of Sita Soren who joined the BJP recently.
| Photo Credit: PTI
In the last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha election, all eyes have now shifted to Santhal region in Jharkhand where voting will take place for three parliamentary seats of Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda.
Sixteen of the 18 constituencies in six districts — Deoghar, Godda, Sahebganj, Pakur, Dumka and Jamtara — are bracketed as Santhal Pargana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be trying to retain its two parliamentary seats. The party had won Godda and Dumka seats in the 2019 general election whereas it lost Rajmahal seat to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Also read: JMM, Congress are big crocodiles, looting mountains of money, PM Modi says in Jharkhand’s Dumka
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand but later the same year, BJP won just four Assembly seats out of 18 in Santhal Pargana in the State Assembly election.
BJP’s prestige is at stake as JMM founder Shibu Soren’s eldest daughter-in-law Sita Soren, who quit the party a month before the Lok Sabha election and joined the BJP, is contesting as the saffron party candidate from Dumka.
Dumka consists of six Assembly segments namely — Jamtara, Sikaripara, Nala, Dumka, Jama and Sarath. This seat is associated with the JMM as Mr. Soren has represented this segment six times winning it for the first time way back in 1989. At present, this seat is represented by Sunil Soren, who has been dropped this election by the BJP.
Basant Soren, the younger brother of former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren who is in jail in an alleged land scam case, is the legislator from Dumka. Nala MLA Rabindra Nath Mahato is the Speaker of the Assembly and this gives the JMM an upper hand.
Nalin Soren, seven-time MLA of Sikaripara Assembly seat, is up against Ms. Sita Soren. The Dumka parliamentary seat is also important for the BJP because its State president Babulal Marandi has represented the constituency twice in 1998 and 1999.
In Godda, sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey is locked in a direct contest against Congress candidate Pradeep Yadav. In the 2019 general election, Mr. Dubey got the lead in all six Assembly segments — Jarmundi, Madhupur, Deoghar, Poreyahat, Godda and Mahagama. In the previous Lok Sabha election, Mr. Yadav had contested the seat on a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) ticket.
Mr. Dubey is a three-term MP and first won the seat in 2009.
Godda seat has a sizeable number of Muslim voters followed by Brahmins, Yadavs, and tribals. Out of six Assembly segments, four are occupied by the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, while the BJP has two in Deoghar and Godda.
Abhishek Jha, grandson of former Bihar Chief Minister Vinodanand Jha is also in the fray as an Independent candidate and may dent Brahmin votes that could otherwise go to Mr. Dubey because he has a good hold among the members of the Panda community.
Mr. Dubey is seeking votes claiming that upon his request, an airport and a unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was constructed in Deoghar apart from an extension of railway line.
On the other hand, Rajmahal seat that is reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) is presently occupied by JMM where the party has fielded sitting MP Vijay Hansda, who is up against BJP candidate Tala Marandi.
It has turned into a triangular contest after Lobin Hembrom, a rebel JMM MLA who represents Borio Assembly seat, jumped into the contest as an Independent candidate. Two more candidates on the seat have raised serious questions over the fate of JMM’s fortunes in the Rajmahal seat, which has six Assembly segments — Borio, Barhait, Litipara, Pakur, Maheshpur, and Rajmahal.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded Gopen Soren as its candidate whereas All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Paul Soren, who could dent the Muslim vote bank.
JMM is also facing difficulties after the arrest of Congress MLA from Pakur and Minister in the Jharkhand government Alamgir Alam who is behind bars now. He had a sway over the Muslim vote bank.
