State scan: BJP, AJSU tie-up in Jharkhand a victim of friendly fire

The by-poll results of Jharkhand’s Gomia and Silli Assembly constituencies on May 31 came as a shock for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Just a month ago, the BJP had swept the urban local body polls, winning most of the 34 urban civic bodies, including five municipal corporations. 

But the mandate in the Silli and Gomia Assembly constituencies was contrary. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) retained both the seats, routing the NDA challenge in the keenly contested elections where the BJP, its ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and the “united opposition” had a lot to prove.

The mid-term polls were necessitated following the disqualification of JMM MLAs Amit Mahto and Yogendra Mahto, who represented Silli and Gomia, respectively. The JMM fielded Seema (Amit’s wife) and Babita (Yogendra’s wife), who had no formal political orientation.

In Silli, Seema bagged 77,129 votes to defeat Sudesh Mahto, former deputy chief minister and president of the AJSU, by a margin of 13,510. In Gomia, Babita with 60,552 votes edged ahead of the AJSU candidate, Lambodar Mahto, by a margin of 1,341 votes, while the BJP nominee, Madhavlal Singh, for whom Chief Minister Raghubar Das had campaigned extensively, slipped to third spot with 42,038 votes.

The Congress and other opposition parties did not field candidates and backed the JMM. But the BJP and its ally AJSU threw a surprise by fielding their candidates in both the constituencies, which many political observers in the state believed was part of a well-drawn strategy that eventually ended in a big rift, putting the alliance future at stake.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Nath Shahdeo admitted the so-called friendly fight between the AJSU and the BJP cost  both dear because the votes were  split. “Had we stayed together, we would have won as the JMM’s Gomia victory margin was wafer-thin,” he said.

Though the BJP has never won Gomia, it pulled all the strings to turn electoral history. There was reportedly resentment against Madhavlal Singh, a Congress turncoat who had lost the last assembly election from the same constituency on a BJP ticket.

The BJP cadre could not be activated for Singh, a development that perplexed the chief minister, who had to camp in the constituency for five days — three days continuously.

The by-poll results have, however, failed to put Das or his government in the dock. The BJP argued if there was resentment against the government, the party would not have registered a resounding victory in the civic polls.

The AJSU candidate, in fact, played spoilsport for the BJP. Explaining why the AJSU fielded a candidate against its ally,  AJSU Spokesman Deo Sharan Bhagat said: “The party nurtured Yogendra Mahto, who walked into the JMM fold after the BJP contested from Gomia... we had to cede the seat in 2014.” 

The JMM reaped a rich harvest in Gomia; the AJSU did not want it to happen again, and the party pitted Lambodar Mahto as its candidate, he explained.

Political observers, on the other hand, said the friendly fight between the BJP and the AJSU was part of the poll manoeuvre. “The BJP wanted the AJSU to eat into the JMM vote share, especially tribals, to take advantage of the division,” said one of the observers.

The strategy did not work. The friend has turned foe, making a severe rift in the alliance. 

A senior AJSU leader alleged the BJP had engineered the defeat of Sudesh Mahto. Hinting at uncertainty in the relation, he said the AJSU lost several dedicated party workers and potential leaders since it decided to join hands with the BJP in 2014.

A senior BJP office-bearer, on the other hand, said: “It is not wise to continue as the AJSU is losing its ground in the state and that may affect BJP’s prospects.” 

The JMM is jubilant. “Democracy has won and money power has lost. Compassion has won and arrogance has to bite the dust,” JMM Working President  Hemant Soren said. He lauded the united opposition for its hard work.

“This show of unity will continue,” Soren said. But the Opposition, led by the Congress, has reasons to worry. The JMM’s vote share has come down and the victory margin dropped drastically.