Eye on Kurmis: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leaders want Sudhir Mahto's widow to campaign

JAMSHEDPUR: Some Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders are trying to convince the leadership to include Savita, veteran party leader Sudhir Mahto's widow, in the campaign for its Jamshedpur candidate Niroop Mahanty.
JMM's major rival in Jamshedpur will be Bharatiya Janata Party that has given ticket to Bidyut Baran Mahato, a JMM rebel. Bidyut Baran opposed JMM's decision to withdrew support to Savita as a Rajya Sabha election candidate after RJD's arm-twisting and had submitted his resignation but it was not accepted by Shibu Soren.Later, he quit over ticket distribution. The four assembly constituencies in the district - Potka, Ghatshila, Jugsalai and Baharagora - have sizeable Kurmi population. So many leaders feel Savita's participation will help in areas dominated by Kurmis.
"If she (Savita) campaigns then votes of the Mahato community will definitely be in our favour as Sudhir was a popular leader who commanded much respect in the community," said a close aide of the late leader.
About 1.5lakh of 15.5 lakh voters are Kurmis and the community plays a significant role in deciding the fate of a candidate. "BJP, which is banking on Mahato vote share, (along with the party's traditional votes)
to win this election could land in trouble if Savita hits the trail," said a Congress leader.
But sources in the party confirmed that Savita is not keen on campaigning. "She is yet to come out of the shock of her husband's death," said a source, adding that she "could think about the proposal if the top leadership wants her to".
"Our leader Hemant Soren had a marathon meeting with top party functionaries (during his two-day visit here early this week) and all issues, including the topic of involving Savita Mahato in the campaigning did cropped up," said a senior party leader on anonymity.
JMM's second-in-command, Hemant Soren, who was in the city last week, said: "Whether Savita will campaign or not is part of our strategy, why should I disclose this now."