Soren’s leadership led the JMM to a sweeping victory in Jharkhand elections.
New Delhi: After a resounding victory and electoral dominance in the tribal regions of Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has emerged as one of the foremost indigenous tribal leaders in the country.
With the state having 81 Assembly constituencies, Soren had addressed around 90 rallies, which accounts for almost three rallies a day during the election period, covering most of the regions of the state. JMM leaders revealed that Hemant’s wife and MLA from Gandey Assembly segment in Giridih district, Kalpana Soren also addressed 85 election rallies from October 15, when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect, until November 15. Her rally count was second only to her husband’s.
This strategy had significantly fructified into greater share of Assembly seats as compared to the last Assembly elections. The party had won 30 Assembly segments in 2019 elections. Out of the 41 seats JMM contested in 2024, it won 34 seats, with a strike rate of more than 80%. Further, talking about the 21 Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies it contested, the party swept the elections by winning 20 seats, displaying a unique strike rate of 95%.
A senior JMM leader said, “The remaining one seat that the BJP won, was only because they had recruited tribal leader and former Chief Minister Champai Soren. Had he not left the party and joined the BJP, the saffron camp would have scored zero on ST seats.”
A senior Congress leader overseeing the Jharkhand elections said, “OBCs, including Yadavas and Mahtos, make up a significant portion of the electorate, while the upper castes, primarily Brahmins and Thakurs, used to dominate the political landscape. However, over the past two years, Hemant Soren has implemented several effective schemes that have been beneficial for the people.”
He added, “One of the major reasons for the BJP’s wipeout in tribal areas was their campaign, which had created a sense of fear among the tribals. They spoke against infiltrators, but the tribals felt that in the name of infiltrators they may marginalise the community. The tribal population constitutes 26% of the state’s population, and with 15% from the Christian and Muslim communities, who have become strategic voters, and vote against the BJP. They constitute 41% of the electorate, and an overwhelming majority of this group voted for the I.N.D.I Alliance.”
A political expert in the state said, “The JMM was working on ground as if they knew that if they lost this election, they would never be able to come back to power. They did everything, made a strategy, focused on booth-level politics and drew out schemes that would consolidate not only tribal votes but also non-tribal votes. The Congress on the other hand followed the lead of the JMM, because of which they gained traction in the electoral arena and started receiving votes. Congress has a weak leadership not only at the centre, but also in the states. The whole campaign was led by Hemant Soren. In Maharashtra, there was no single leader who could unite the alliance partners. Everyone seemed to be working independently. That was the reason for the loss there.”