Campaign Ends As INDIA Bloc Eyes Victory In Jharkhand Phase 1, Emphasising Social Welfare And Unity

Alliance managers say the coalition’s social welfare focus and mutual candidate support will strengthen the ruling coalition’s voter appeal and projected success.

New Delhi: The INDIA bloc had a better chance of winning the 43 phase 1 assembly seats in Jharkhand that will go to polls on November 13, the Congress said on Monday, the last day of the campaigning. The alliance managers attributed the projection of the coalition, its focus on the social welfare agenda and the partners seeking votes for each other’s candidates as the factors that will benefit the ruling coalition.

The alliance managers also said that out of the 43 seats, the JMM was strong in the tribal areas and the Congress would take on the BJP in the urban areas. “The INDIA bloc has a better chance in the phase 1 seats as compared to the previous election as they have remained normal all this while. The alliance stayed strong and focused only on social welfare, which mattered to the voters,” AICC coordinator for Jharkhand BK Hari Prasad, told ETV Bharat.

According to Congress insiders, while the JMM leadership flagged the state government’s schemes, the Congress highlighted the seven guarantees for the tribal state. The Congress campaign was led by former chief Rahul Gandhi and incumbent Mallikarjun Kharge while the JMM campaign was led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his MLA wife Kalpana Soren.

The AICC functionary noted that Kalpana Soren had emerged as a star campaigner for the INDIA bloc as she sought votes for Congress Badkagaon candidate Amba Prasad and had earlier toured the state, along with Congress minister Deepika Pandey Singh, who is contesting from Mahagama, to promote the women’s welfare scheme.

“Kalpana Soren was not allowed to go to Jagannathpur and Latehar after she addressed a rally at Ghatshila. So, she conveyed her message to the public over a mobile phone. She has been challenging the BJP over the tribal rights and saving constitution issues and has also reminded JMM workers to watch the EVMs carefully on polling day,” said a JMM leader.

Independent Purnia Lok Sabha MP Pappu Yadav, too, campaigned across the state for INDIA Bloc nominees as he slammed the saffron party for eyeing the natural resources of the tribal state while RJD chief Lalu Prasad campaigned in Kodarma on November 10 where he said that Prime Minister Modi’s visits to the state will not make any difference.

Congress minority department head and Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi also campaigned in the state where he slammed the saffron party leaders for alleging that infiltrators had entered Jharkhand. Imran showed maps of the state during his rallies and questioned how infiltrators came to the state, which shared no boundary with any neighbouring country. Hence, he said it was the responsibility of the Central government to stop any infiltration if it happened.

“This was being done to mislead the voters and polarise them, but the people have become alert and know, who took care of them over the past five years. The BJP tried to topple the INDIA bloc government earlier through illegal means and the voters will teach it a lesson. I just remind the voters that we have come to open shops of love and work for everyone,” Imran Patapgarhi told ETV Bharat.