For BJP, Santhal Pargana paves road to Ranchi

Ranchi: If the BJP has along with pre-poll ally Ajsu Party managed to secure simple majority in Jharkhand, it owes a lot to its success in Santhal Pargana, a traditional stronghold of rival JMM.
Of the 18 seats in Santhal Pargana, BJP won seven (Dumka, Borio, Godda, Deoghar, Mahagama, Madhupur and Rajmahal) and emerged as the single biggest party in the region, five more than what it got in 2009.JMM finished with six seats (Barhait, Jama, Nala, Littipara, Mahespur and Shikaripara), four less than its tally five years back. The Congress managed to bag three (Jarmundi, Jamtara and Pakur) while JVM (P) pocketed two (Poreyahat and Sarath).
The BJP performance in the region, having seven reserved seats for tribals, must have made party bosses happy because its main opponent JMM failed to protect its home turf. That the saffron brigade attached high importance to Santhal Pargana and primarily targeted JMM was evident when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two rallies on December 15 at Dumka and Barhait. JMM vice-president and outgoing CM Hemant Soren was contesting from both the places and lost Dumka to BJP’s Louis Marandi by 5262 votes.
In fact, the party made significant inroads in tribal constituencies, winning 11 of the 28 seats reserved for STs in the state while ally Ajsu Party won in two.
The BJP brass, according to party insiders, had from the beginning realised that their key to getting majority in the state lay in Santhal Pargana. And hence made all-out efforts in the region by unleashing a high-decibel campaign and ensuring visits by a host of national leaders, including party president Amit Shah and Union home minister Rajnath Singh, apart from Modi.
Party sources said the hard work and resource mobilisation paid off as BJP managed to put up its best show in the region. In 2005, it had triumphed in six seats. “We are satisfied with our show in Santhal Pargana. From two in 2009 to seven seats, it’s a good leap,” party spokesperson Pradeep Sinha told TOI. “The fact that we have breached the JMM bastion is no mean achievement. The JMM has not undertaken development works to meet expectations, hence voters rejected it,” he pointed out.
JMM spokesperson Vinod Pandey has a different take: “The poll outcome does not reflect lack of development in Santhal Pargana. Our performance has not matched our expectations because the secular vote got split, benefitting the BJP. Our tribal support in Santhal Pargana remains intact.”