BJP could not convince voters about party's fight for preserving tribal culture, tradition: Champai

Jamshedpur, Nov 14 (PTI) Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday said that perhaps the BJP could not convince the voters of Ghatsila assembly constituency about its fight for preserving the language, culture, tradition and the very existence of tribal society.

JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren won the by-election to Ghatshila assembly constituency in Jharkhand by a margin of 38,524 votes by defeating BJP's Babulal Soren, son of Champai Soren.

Champai the BJP MLA from Setaikela in a statement stated that "our fight in Jharkhand against changing demography and religious conversion due to infiltrators and for preserving the language, culture, tradition and the very existence of tribal society will continue".

Expressing his gratitude to the voters of Ghatsila assembly constituency for extending support, he said, "perhaps, this time, we were not successful to make people understand our stand and that's why (result of by-poll in Ghatsila)." He said elections will come and go, wins and loss will keep happening, but our society must be saved, our existence must endure, tribal identity must be preserved, otherwise everything will be lost.

"Our struggle to protect the lands and religious-cultural heritage of tribals and indigenous people will continue," he said.

JMM central general secretary and national spokesperson Vinod Pandey told PTI that the faith of the people in the current government and the good work of late Ramdas Soren were the reasons for their victory with a huge margin in the Ghatshila bypoll.

"People's faith has increased in the Hemant Soren-led government. They have got what they had expected. This apart, Ghatshila people wanted this election to be a tribute to deceased leader Ramdas Soren, who had an untimely death in August this year," said Pandey.

JMM spokesman Vinod Pandey said, "I think Chief Minister and JMM President Hemant Soren's foresight and leadership, coupled with his wife Kalpana Soren's charisma and the party's people-oriented programmes were the major factors for the victory of Somesh." The people of Ghatsila have reposed faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, he said.

Jharkhand Transport Minister Deepak Birua, who campaigned for the party candidate Somesh Chandra Soren, hailed the victory as "team work".

Party leaders, workers, as well as coalition partners, worked unitedly to ensure Somesh's victory, Birua told PTI.

Hailing the leadership of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren, Birua said they led the party workers from the front.

BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo told PTI that the party would introspect on the reason for the defeat in Ghatshila bypoll.

"We had reached out to the last mile during our campaigning, but the result was not what we expected. We will introspect on the result and carry forward the lessons learnt from this by-poll," said Sahdeo.

Meanwhile, experts feel people's sentiments toward a deceased leader with "a good image", dent in NDA vote bank by a third party and women's steadfast support to the Hemant Soren government due to 'Maiyan Samman' (monthly financial assistance scheme for poor women) were the factors responsible for victory of JMM candidate Somesh Chandra Soren in the Ghatshila by-poll.

Ranchi-based political columnist, Faisal Anurag opined that BJP's continuance with the Bangladeshi infiltrator agenda, despite testing negative results in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha results, where it performed poorly in ST (tribal reserved) seats and neglecting local issues was a major factor apart from people's sentiments for a deceased leader.

"BJP had campaigned on Bangladeshi infiltrator plank both in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2024 assembly elections in Jharkhand and performed very poorly in ST reserved seats (losing all the five ST reserved seats in Lok Sabha polls and winning only two ST seats in assembly polls), but it continued with the same plank in Ghatshila by-poll without raising local issues," said Anurag.

Former political science professor and principal of Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial College in Karandih (Jamshedpur), A K Jha, credited the Maiyan Samman yojana, dent in NDA vote bank by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and sentiment toward deceased leader Ramdas Soren as major factors for JMM victory with a historic margin. PTI BS ANB RG