The BJP, after the drubbing in the recently-concluded Assembly election, hopes to win the trust of tribals in Jharkhand as a grand welcome awaits former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi back into the party. It is due to the stature of Marandi and the support he still enjoys in tribal community that BJP has decided to give a red carpet welcome to Marandi who along with his supporters will join the party.
The importance of Marandi and his supporters joining the BJP can be gauged from the fact that in the season when there is no election, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are going to reach Ranchi for becoming witness to the grand function. With Marandi’s home coming to party after 14 years, the party aims at once again getting back its tribal vote bank as in last Assembly election the party’s biggest disappointment was in tribal reserved seats. Out of 28 tribal seats in Jharkhand, the BJP won only Khunti and Torpa.
BJP had to face the wrath of tribal resentment as its state president Laxman Gilua and Assembly speaker Dinesh Oraon too lost their election from Chakradharpur and Sisai respectively. In Santhal Pargana where the party had hoped to gain maximum seats the BJP failed to win any tribal seats.
A senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “The party has understood that without tribal face the party is not going to consolidate its position in tribal seats. Once Marandi joins BJP he will be given important post and the party will once again reach out to people reposing confidence among tribals.” The leader further said, “As Marandi is accessible and keeps on travelling in remote areas, it is hoped that the party’s connect with the masses may get restored after Marandi’s entry.”
Sources said with Marandi joining BJP there will be two senior tribal leaders in BJP, Arjun Munda in Centre and Marandi in State. As JVM merger with BJP will be grand affair, BJP national general secretary Om Prakash Mathur today visited Prabhat Tara Ground to assess the preparations. Mathur said, “The merger of JVM with BJP will be a grand affair and a historic event. It will change the politics of State.”
Moreover, the merger of JVM in BJP will be a win-win situation for Marandi too. Sources said that for Marandi too it will be rehabilitation for him as despite all efforts his party managed to win only three seats.
Affable, suave and soft in nature, Babulal has been a loyalist of RSS and it seems to have paid him a rich dividend. He was felicitated with the coveted post of first CM of Jharkhand when it became a separate state on November 15, 2000. However, his stint as the CM could not last for a long time and he had to step down on March 17, 2003.
In 2006, Marandi formed his own party and since then he has been trying to find a base in the State.
In 2009, his party won eleven Assembly seats, which were reduced to eight in 2014. In 2019, his party managed to win only three seats.