Crucial by-polls in Jharkhand

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Two Jharkhand constituencies, Dumka and Bermo, are all set for by-elections on November 3. Dumka is reserved for candidates belonging to scheduled tribes.

The seat in Dumka fell vacant on January 6 this year when Hemant Soren who had contested from both Dumka and Barhait assembly seats chose to take oath from the latter. His brother Basant has now been fielded from the constituency. Dumka is seen as a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) stronghold. It is from here that Shibu Soren had started his political journey. He is pitted against the BJP’s Dr. Lois Marandi.

Meanwhile, Bermo by-polls were necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Rajendra Prasad Singh of the Congress. Now, Singh’s son Kumar Jaimangal is contesting from his father’s seat. He is pitted against the BJP’s Yogeshwar Mahto Batul.

Elections in both constituencies are important as the key message from both the JMM and the Congress has been their commitment to restore the ‘asmita’ or pride of Adivasis or Moolvasis (original inhabitants). Jharkhand has a large population of tribal and forest dwelling communities that are often at odds with mining companies that want to conduct operations in areas that Adivasis have traditionally inhabited. Many of these companies are owned and operated by crony capitalists who allegedly depend on their special relationship with powerful people in the central regime to further their anti-people and anti-environment agenda, just so they can line their own pockets.

The matter of right to forest produce, a source of livelihood for forest dwellers and forest working people, also remains contentious as does the impending virtual slavery of farmers and farm labourers in wake of new agricultural laws.

It is noteworthy that activist and Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy who has a long history of helping Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities use legal means to get their land rights, was arrested from Jharkhand on trumped up charges of having Maoist links and being a co-conspirator in the Bhima Koregaon case.

Elections are also significant in wake of allegations by Chief Minister Hemant Soren of strong-arm tactics by the Centre against non-BJP states such as his. At a press conference organised by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) on October 21, Soren had said, “Recently the centre syphoned away all the money Jharkhand state had for welfare schemes in an account that the state has with the RBI.”

By-polls were postponed for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A gazette notification for the polls was finally issued on October 9.