MP polls: A possible Cong-JAYS tie-up, Bhim Army moves liven up politics

Apart from this, in a recent development the Bhim Army is trying to make inroads into state politics

When the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced that Droupadi Murmu will be its presidential candidate, the political landscape in Bhopal saw a shift. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan emerged at public functions adorned in tribal attire to celebrate Murmu’s nomination, to the accompaniment of various kinds of tribal dance. Needless to say, the jubilation was based on the belief that this move might turn the tide in favour of the party in the tribal belt of the state.

The Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS), a social organisation of tribals in Madhya Pradesh, is projected to play a very crucial role here. JAYS National Patron Hiralal Alawa (also a Congress MLA) has urged the tribal youth to work hard towards increasing their representation in the Assembly in order to fight for their rights, instead of being used as vote banks of other parties.

“The JAYS had organised a tribal mahapanchayat in Kukshi (District Dhar), where we decided that we will contest 80 tribal-dominated seats,” said Alawa. Talking about his strategy Alawa said the tribal youth of the focused area would prepare a report on the concerns of their communities and lead an awareness programme about political representation.

When asked about his association with the Congress, Alawa said: “For me the organisation and tribal community are foremost priorities. Everything else comes next. If the Congress desires an alliance, they have to come forward with a plan. We will see whether it works for us, and only then shall we decide something.”

“The JAYS and Congress are fellow-travellers. They pursue a common agenda, and that is to defeat the BJP,” stated a close confidant of Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath. Nath had recently created headlines by saying that the JAYS had the DNA of the Congress.

When asked about the Congress and JAYS teaming up, BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said: “In a democracy everyone has the right to contest election and select its partners. As far as the BJP is concerned, tribal people are not vote banks for the party. The BJP is continuously striving to work towards the betterment of the tribal people. Whether we talk about celebrating ‘Tribal pride day’, the sacrifice day of tribal hero Shankar Shah-Raghunath Shah, renaming Habibganj railway station after first Gond queen of Bhopal Rani Kamlapati, Chief Minister Ration Aapke Gram Yojana, cancelling loans from moneylenders and different self-empowerment schemes — all steps have only one goal and that is to make our tribal brothers and sisters proud of their legacy and uplift them socially.”

Indore-based analyst Suchendra Mishra, who keeps a close watch on tribal politics, has a different perspective on JAYS politics.

“The JAYS experienced an enormous impact in the 2018 Assembly elections, and the BJP suffered significant losses in the Malwa-Nimar region. The Congress had offered a ticket to Alawa from Manawar. The party got the benefit of this, and Congress candidates were victorious in most of the seats in the region, but it has lost its charm after the 2018 Assembly polls. Now it is torn apart and has lost its political capital as well,” said Mishra.

“The BJP knows very well that the support of more than 15.3 million Scheduled Caste and Tribes is the key to winning 47 of the 230 Assembly seats. The BJP was forced out of power in 2018 due to its defeat in tribal-dominated seats. In 2018, the Congress won 31 of these seats, while the BJP was reduced to 18, a big decline from the 37 it won in the 2013 elections,” said Mishra.

According to Bhopal-based political analyst Girija Shankar, it is wrong to say the Congress won in the tribal seats in 2018.

“Consider any election from the year 1957 till now — the results of tribal seats are in line with the broad trend of the results of the entire state. As far as the JAYS is concerned, I don’t think any single organisation can claim to be the leader of diverse tribes of the state. There are Bhil and Bhilalas, Gond and Sahariyas, Baiga and Pardhans, and many more. They have diverse cultures and lifestyles. It’s impossible to steer them in any given direction,’’ Girija Shankar said.

Apart from this, in a recent development the Bhim Army is also trying to make inroads into state politics. 

The Bhim Army’s co-founder Chandra­shekhar Azad has announced that his party, Azad Samaj Party, is planning to contest the 2023 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. If that happens, the upcoming Assembly polls will take another interesting turn.