With the Assembly elections just three months away, State BJP leaders want the central leadership to declare immediately the face who will lead the party into the elections.
“The BJP has successfully experimented the same in the lok Sabha elections. This should be replicated in Jharkhand which has been plagued by the fractured mandate since its birth in 2000," pointed out a senior BJP leader requesting anonymity.
The BJP leader maintained that the time for collective leadership, ostensibly a device to keep all the contenders in good humour ahead of elections, is over. "We have got the results of empowering Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhra Raje and Raman Singh as regional leaders. Now, it is time that the central leadership takes a call in case of Jharkhand too, he pointed out.
Senior BJP leader Saryu Roy has already cautioned the State leadership not to remain complacent in view of the nation-wide Modi wave as local issues influence the voting pattern in the Assembly elections. Also, the BJP has to fight strong tribal regional leaders like Shibu Soren and Babulal Marandi in Jharkhand. "So, any delay in projecting a leader might prove costly for the party," pointed out another BJP leader.
"People vote in the Assembly elections for the leader who will guide them and becomes the Chief Minister," he added.Incidentally, a small section of State BJP leaders has kicked off an unseemly theory of projecting a non-tribal leader to lead the campaign in the Assembly elections. They believed that the BJP could trash the convention under NaMo impact and get a non-tribal chief minister to lead the State.
It is, however, said to be a bid to negate the good efforts of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda, making him the natural choice to lead Assembly elections, in contributing to the landslide victory for party in Jharkhand.Thanks to RJD boss lalu Prasad, there has been an unwritten provision for a tribal chief minister in Jharkhand and no party could dare to change this convention.Saryu Roy though, denied that there is any concerted effort to project a non-tribal leader to lead the elections. However, a senior leader, requesting anonymity, said that projecting a non-tribal leader will prove to be counterproductive for the saffron brigade.
He pointed out that though the BJP leadership had not taken risk in ticket distribution and re-nominated seven of the eight sitting MPs in the lok Sabha elections, candidates for at least six of the other seven seats were picked up at the suggestion of Arjun Munda and it paid off well for the party.Munda, supported by the RSS, was said to be instrumental in picking up JMM MlA Vidyut Baran Mahto and fielding him against formidable JVM nominee Ajoy Kumar in Jamshedpur. likewise lakshman Gilua and VD Ram were handpicked by Munda.
“It would have been 14-0 in Jharkhand had Munda's choice loius Marandi had been fielded in Dumka and former JMM MlA Hemlal Murmu had joined the BJP a bit early to contest the elections from Raj Mahal," pointed out an insider.Jharkhand had proved to be a face-saver for the NDA in 2009 with the BJP gaining lost ground and bagging as many as eight of the 14 lok Sabha seats in the State.
“To be fair to Munda, though he became chief minister thrice he did not enjoy a simple majority to perform and always struggled in dealing with squabbling allies, some of them even wanted a free run to make money. He even sacrificed his government instead of succumbing to the pressure of allies like Madhu Koda and JMM," pointed out a senior RSS leader, requesting anonymity.
“If the BJP projects a non-tribal leader, it might run the risk of alienating the tribals who, though constitute 26-28 per cent of vote share, but vote aggressively. Also, if Muslims and tribals consolidate in favour of a regional party, it may upset the whole calculation of the BJP leaders,” pointed out Harishwar Dayal, who has been involved in several poll surveys.