Adivasi voters rejected BJP’s infiltration narrative in Jharkhand, election results show
In Santal Pargana, the BJP’s tally dropped from four seats to one. In most constituencies reserved for tribal candidates, JMM increased its vote share.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s election campaign in Jharkhand pitting Adivasis against Muslims failed to dent support for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition in the state’s Adivasi regions and constituencies, Scroll’s analysis of the Assembly election results shows.
The JMM and its ally, the Indian National Congress, won 27 of the 28 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes candidates, two more than the 2019 Assembly polls. The alliance also improved its vote share in most of these constituencies.
Similarly, in the Adivasi-dominated regions of Santal Pargana and Kolhan, the JMM-led coalition retained its advantage. In 2019, it had swept all 16 Scheduled Tribes constituencies in the two regions. This time, it won 15 of the 16 seats, losing a sole seat to former Chief Minister Champai Soren who defected from the JMM to the BJP in August this year.
The BJP had accused the JMM-led government of letting Muslim “infiltrators” overrun Adivasi regions, undermining the interests of the state’s indigenous communities. A campaign video even showed skull-cap wearing men and women in burqas invading a bungalow of a JMM supporter. The Election Commission of India asked the party to take down the video, which it said violated the model code of conduct.
The BJP’s divisive campaign appears to have left voters...
