The dust of Maharashtra and Haryana election results has not been settled down yet, Election Commission (EC) on Friday announced the date of assembly polls in Jharkhand. Voting for 81 constituencies in the state will be held in five phases from November 30 to December 20, while counting of votes will take place on December 23. With the sound of election bugle in Jharkhand, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the state.
Polls date
The five-phase Jharkhand assembly polls will commence from November 30, (13 seat), the second phase will be held on December 7, (20 seats), third phase on December 12, (17 seats), fourth phase on December 16, (15 seats), fifth and the last phase of polling is to be held on December 20, (16 seats). Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said that the problem of Naxalism in the state is being considered for poll preparations. Arora also said that 19 districts in Jharkhand are affected by Naxalism, which consist of 67 assembly seats.
No compromise
Maharashtra and Haryana’s result was a set back for the saffron party. Tug of war between the two saffron outfits has been intensified in Maharashtra. Not to talk of compromise and negotiation, neither party is ready to come on one platform and see each other eye to eye. The BJP and the Shiv Sena are tuning different tones for grabbing power. It seems there is no word of compromise in their dictionary.
Uncertainty in Maharashtra
At the moment, Maharashtra’s fate hangs in the balance, speculations are high, anything is possible, prospect of president rule can’t be ruled out. Political pundits are busy to bring out some solution and settle down the contentious issue of power-sharing in the state assembly without further hue and cry.
BJP books Wankhede Stadium
Like the action-packed movie of Bollywood, the entire nation is eyeing on the day-to-day political development in Maharashtra. Almost ten days have passed since the declaration of assembly poll result in the state, still, there is no clarity on government formation. Interestingly BJP has decided to move to Wankhede Stadium and booked this cricket ground for the swearing-in ceremony on November 5 without a majority. The saffron party is waiting for the green signal from the BCCI.
Jharkhand another battleground
The top brass of the BJP has to be cautious and never consider every election like Lok Sabha polls. Opposition parties are also gearing up to make amends of the General Elections mistake. With the below-expectation performance in Maharashtra and Haryana, Congress and others have got much-needed ammunition to counter the ruling party with intensity and put them on the back foot.
BJP expects a better show
The BJP has an alliance with the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU); the saffron outfit is hoping better results than it recorded in Maharashtra and Haryana recently. In spite of emerging as the single largest party in both states, Congress and its ally stole the show. What went wrong? Why did voters change their stance within six months?
Local issues turn game
The BJP has to get together and go for a brainstorm session to restore confidence among its workers. One thing is apparent local issues are more important than the core national issues in the assembly polls. People want good governance, who can provide jobs, social security, improve the conditions of farmers and small entrepreneurs. Scrapping of Article 370 and other core national issues won’t fetch you vote in assembly polls. The BJP has got this bitter lesson in Maharashtra and Haryana.
Testing time
In Jharkhand, the ruling party bagged 35 seats in its kitty in the 81-member house in 2014. Its ally AJSU won 17 and formed the government. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party swept the state by winning 12 out of 14 seats, while JMM won the two seats. BJP has to be careful in its ticket distribution, campaign strategy must be rock-like solid then hope to come in power again.
Fierce battle on the card
Another fierce battle is on the map, ruling and opposition both are limbering up for the upcoming Jharkhand polls. The Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have announced a tie-up, but the seat-sharing has not been finalised. “Everything is pre-decided, and the grand alliance will be announced soon,” Jharkhand Congress chief Rameshwar Oraon was quoted in a report.
Be careful media
Opposition was written off by experts and media in Maharashtra and Haryana. The Congress and the JMM should take a leaf out of Sharad Pawar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s book in the recently concluded assembly polls of two states. They have to show determination, guts, willpower, and assure the voters to raise their issues to solve them. Then opposition can think any turnaround; otherwise saffron party will prove a hard nut to crack.
CM overconfidence
The chief minister Raghubar Das is looking over confident like his Haryana counterpart Khattar during the election, expressed determination to win more than 65 seats out of 81. The party’s in-charge for the Jharkhand Assembly polls, O P Mathur, said the BJP would return to power based on its state government’s performance and the popular appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Political parties are busy in the selection of suitable candidates. Experts and media persons should be careful in their prediction before the result because uncertainty is hovering all the time on political pitch too, like cricket.
