Tribal ire over Hemant Soren arrest helps INDIA, but may need more in Jharkhand

THE ARREST of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was seen as one potent issue around which the Opposition INDIA bloc could rally together. The ease with which Hemant’s wife Kalpana Murmu Soren slipped unofficially into her husband’s role in the party was also heartening for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) ranks. Framing this contest as one between her jailed husband and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she recently posted: “Braveheart Soren stays in everyone’s hearts. His every work has reached people’s hearts. How can you extract him out of people’s hearts?”

The ruling party was also confident about having read the state’s pulse right by pushing for a domicile policy and a Sarna religious code.

However, as the Lok Sabha polls finally begin in the state, with four seats voting on May 13, the coalition is plagued by charges of corruption, internal rebellions, delay in finalisation of names, and dissonance between promises and ground realities.

Meanwhile, even as there is no “Modi wave”, the BJP’s nationalism pitch has its share of supporters.

In Jharkhand, the ruling coalition or INDIA bloc includes the Congress, which is fighting in seven Lok Sabha seats of the total 14; the JMM, five seats; and the RJD and CPI-ML, one seat each. Last time, the Congress and JMM won 1 seat each, while the BJP took 12.

JMM: Will anger over Hemant arrest be enough?

What the INDIA coalition is banking on is resentment among tribals over Hemant Soren’s arrest. He has now been in the Enforcement Directorate and judicial custody since January 31, with his bail hearing stalled.

Of the five seats the JMM is contesting from, Rajmahal, Dumka and Singhbhum are ST-reserved seats; the other two being Jamshedpur and Giridih.

Rajmahal has been won by the