Will Jairam Mahato's party raise alarm for NDA, INDIA bloc in Jharkhand polls?

Jairam Mahato-led Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM), which registered a strong presence in the Lok Sabha elections, is ready to give tough competition to Hemant Soren's party and the BJP.

In Short

• Jairam Mahato gained influence due to Kurmi voters' support
• His party showed strong performance in 2024 Lok Sabha polls
• Mahato's rise could impact traditional vote banks of major parties

Jharkhand is in the midst of its fifth Assembly election since the state was carved out of Bihar in 2000. The state will witness polling in two phases, on November 13 and 20, with the vote count scheduled for November 23.

The political battleground is heating up as the state’s two main parties, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gear up to face each other, with their respective allies by their side.

However, the rise of a new player, the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM), led by young leader Jairam Mahato, is all set to give a tough competition to both the BJP and the JMM.

The caste equations of Jharkhand politics are poised to expand Jairam Mahato's stature and influence. He comes from the Kurmi caste (more than 15 per cent), and in the politics of the state, this caste is considered to be the most influential after the tribals (26.2 per cent).

Despite a loss in the Giridih Lok Sabha seat, Mahato has positioned himself as a rising star in Jharkhand politics. Jairam Mahato contested as an Independent candidate, and secured 3 lakh 47 thousand 322 votes.

2024 LOK SABA ELECTION

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, JBKSS fielded candidates in eight constituencies, including Giridih, Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Koderma, and Dhanbad. While the party did not win any seats, it managed to garner significant vote shares in key constituencies.

While Devendra Nath Mahto received 1,32,647 votes in Ranchi, and Sanjay Kumar Mehta won 157,977 votes in Hazaribagh. The party’s total vote count across these constituencies stood at an impressive 8,03,069.

In the Assembly segments of Gomia, where Lambodar Mahato of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) is the current MLA, and Dumri, Jairam Mahato received more votes than the other two candidates in Giridih.

In the Silli Assembly segment, where AJSU chief Sudesh Mahato is the current MLA, JBKSS student leader Devendra Nath Mahato received 1.32 lakh votes, placing him second in Ranchi, where BJP candidate Sanjay Seth won.

Sanjay Mehta of JBKSS received a noteworthy 1.57 lakh votes in Hazaribagh, which was won by Manish Jaiswal of the BJP. More than a third of those votes came from the Ramgarh Assembly segment, which has a sizeable Kurmi voter base.

PERFORMANCE OF JKLM CANDIDATES IN 2024 LOK SABHA

ALARM BELLS FOR NDA AND INDIA BLOC

The rise of Jairam Mahato in Jharkhand politics has raised alarm bells for AJSU and JMM. Till now, these two parties had control over the local votes, but now a third strong option has emerged in Jharkhand in the form of Jairam Mahato.

Actually, Giridih seat went to Aajsu Party under the NDA alliance. JMM got this seat under the INDIA alliance. In such a situation, the bumper votes received by Jairam Mahato raised alarm bells for the NDA and the INDIA bloc as well.

Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) chief Jairam Mahato is likely to contest from two places, including Dumri seat. JLKM will contest elections on a total of 71 seats.

Jairam Mahato proved that he is going to be a big factor in the Jharkhand Assembly elections by registering a strong presence in Giridih, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Ranchi, and Koderma seats. The Jairam factor will work especially on Kurmi majority seats.

Judging by the performance in the Lok Sabha elections, it seems that this new political rise of Jairam has definitely increased the tension between the established parties JMM and BJP of the state.

WILL JKLM BREAK INTO KURMI VOTE BANK?

Like President of AJSU Party Sudesh Mahato, Jairam Mahato’s background is student politics. Both belong to the Kudmi caste and eyes on a sizeable number of votes in Jharkhand.

The BJP and the AJSU are contesting together this time. In the 2019 assembly polls, both are contested separately, and AJSU got 8.1 percent of the votes. When BJP and AJSU fought together for the first time in 2014, AJSU got only 3.68 percent of the vote.

JLKM filed Devendra Nath Mahto from Silli Assembly seat where AJSU president Sudesh Mahato is contesting. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Devendra Nath Mahto contested from the Ranchi seat and got 132647 votes.

If Jairam Mahato succeeds in making a dent in the Kurmi vote, the results of the Assembly elections will be shocking.

STRENGTH OF JAIRAM MAHATO

Jairam Mahato founded a political party that is gaining support and broadening its agenda by taking advantage of the belief in Jharkhand that only people who had moved to the state by 1932 could be called Jharkhandis.

There are 15 percent Kudmi votes in Jharkhand. Jairam Mahato has his eyes on this vote bank. Connecting with people in the local language and talking about the jobs of local people is attracting the youth.

POWER OF KURMI VOTES

More than 15 per cent of voters in Jharkhand are Kudmi, and their move to support Jairam Mahato and the JBKSS is significant because, experts say, they have the power to make or break multiple parties in at least 32 – 35 Assembly seats, such as Silli, Ramgarh, Mandu, Gomia, Dumri, and Ichagarh, where more than 75 per cent of voters are Kudmis.

WHO IS JAIRAM MAHATO?

Jairam Mahato is Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) chief. He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha as an Independent candidate from Giridih.

Mahato was born on 27 December 1994 in Mantand village in Dhanbad district. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Koyalanchal University, Dhanbad.

Jairam Mahato has been leading the movement on the issues of language, domicile, and employment for the last four years.

He is continuously leading the movement regarding local languages in competitive examinations of Jharkhand and domicile based on Khatian in 1932. Jairam Mahato had formed a party named Jharkhandi Bhasha Khatian Sangharsh Samiti (JBKSS) in June 2023.