Tribal instincts

The election in Jharkhand is heating up, with the JMM and BJP both trying to win over tribal voters by promising lots of money.

The BJP just released its plan, which includes hiring for over 280,000 government jobs, giving ₹2,000 to college students for two years, and starting a program called ‘Gogo-Didi’ to give women ₹2,100 each month. Meanwhile, the JMM-Congress team has its own plan called the Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana, which promises ₹1,000 a month for women aged 15-20, increasing to ₹2,500 later on.

Tribal voters are super important because they make up 26.2% of Jharkhand’s population and have special reserved seats in the assembly.

There’s also a debate about laws. The BJP wants a Uniform Civil Code but says tribal people won’t be affected. The JMM wants a special Sarna Code just for tribal communities. This code helps protect tribal identity, which the JMM successfully used in past elections.

Another issue is illegal immigration. The BJP is focusing on claims about illegal migrants from Bangladesh living in certain areas of Jharkhand and says it’s the only party that can protect tribal communities from this problem.

Lastly, the JMM is gaining support after the arrest of a tribal leader named Hemant Soren, and his wife, Kalpana, is also campaigning hard, especially to get women to vote. Experts think this gives the JMM a slight advantage, but the BJP still has strong support from other groups, making the election very close.

END OF ARTICLE