'Delay in stand on pre-poll alliance led to Santhal Pargana debacle'

RANCHI: Having lost seven of the eight sitting seats in Santhal Paragana region in the recently concluded election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday identified delay in finalisation of alliance talks as one of the main reasons for the poll debacle.
The party convened its review meeting to analyse the reasons for its defeat and chalk out the future course of political action here at the residence of party chief Shibu Soren.After deliberations and on the basis of reports submitted by various district organisations, the central committee members were unanimous on the view that despite being voted out of power, their overall performance was not dismal.
"The vote share increased by 11% and our party also managed to increase one seat to grab 19 seats in the 81-member House," said central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya, admitting that it was because of delay in finalising whether the party would contest alone or join hands with Congress and others, that confused the voters. "Muslim voters and some of the non-cadre vote bank remained confused till the last moment, particularly in Santhal Pargana region, as a result of which the votes went to different parties, ultimately giving an edge to BJP," the review concluded. They also identified polarisation of communal votes and influence of corporate houses during elections as other reasons for defeat of the tribal party.
Taking lessons from the mistakes, the party has decided to reorganise its forces by building a strong movement against corporate influence in the affairs of the state. "We have failed in protesting against the land acquisition ordinance. That day is not far when the landed property of the state would be controlled by 22 corporate houses," Bhattacharya said. The party has also decided to put pressure on the government for declaration of domicile policy before appointments in government sector begins.