Dumri: While Jharkhand elections are largely seen as a bipolar contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and the INDIA bloc fronted by the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a young firebrand leader, heading a barely three month-old party, has turned the fight into a triangular one.
The leader is Jairam Mahato, popularly known as ‘Tiger’ Jairam Mahato, a 29-year-old Ph.D student, founder of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) which is contesting its first assembly elections in the state. Armed with a large social media following, and growing popularity especially among the youth, as evidenced in his packed campaign rallies, Mahato’s politics is about asserting the Jharkhandi identity. In his speeches, he places the “other” or non-Jharkhandis front and centre, as he juxtaposes the “bahari” (outsiders) versus “sthaaniye” (locals) in the cause for Jharkhand’s development.
Jairam Mahato. Photo: X/@Tigerjairam
“The issues of the youth are employment, income and their ability to get employment in Jharkhand according to their capability. In Jharkhand, the aspirations of these youth have been shattered as successive governments in collusion with corporations have sold the jobs in the state to those from neighbouring states at high prices. This has made Jharkhand’s youth disappointed and frustrated and as a result, a youth, who is still a student, has now presented himself as a leader,” said Mahato to The Wire.
Mahato is a member of the Kurmi Mahato community, which is said to be about 25% of the state’s population. He first rose to prominence in 2021 when he led a movement against the recognition of Maithili, Bhojpuri and Angika as official languages. Subsequently, he began a campaign for the implementation of the 1932 Khatiyan (domicile recognition for only those whose family names were recorded in the land records of 1932) to demand reservation for Jharkhand’s people.
According to Mahato, while Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar to be a separate state with a separate Jharkhandi identity, the people of the state are still suffering due to the dominance of non-Jharkhandis who hold the power over the state’s resources and its distribution.
“Just like how Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were born out of a movement for a separate state based on language, or how Bombay and Gujarat were divided, in the same way Bihar and Jharkhand became separate because of our separate identity,” he said.
“When Bombay was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat, they had different identities-Gujarat has Gujaratis and Maharashtra has Marathis. Maharashtra’s people do not interfere in Gujarat and vice versa. But in our state, all other neighbouring states interfere in our affairs. That is why we put forth this politics against baharis. Because today our state has become separate from Bihar after a long drawn struggle. Despite being separate, if the same people continue to rule us, then what was the point of separating from the state?” he asked.
Jairam Mahato addressing a packed rally. Photo: X/@Tigerjairam
It is this identity politics that has catapulted Mahato and his party to the forefront as a possible game changer in this assembly election and appealed to voters as an alternative to established parties. Mahato and his party are looking to build on the gains in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when despite not having a registered party, his candidates came third in six of the eight seats that they contested. Mahato himself contested from Giridih, came third but won 3,47,322 votes behind the JMM’s Mathura Prasad Mahato who won 3,70,259 votes and came second. The seat was won by the All Jharkhand Students Union’s (AJSU’s) Chandraprakash Choudhary with 4,51,139 votes.
In the assembly elections, the JLKM is fighting on 71 of the state’s 81 seats, Mahato himself is contesting from two seats – Dumri and Bermo. At the centre of the party’s campaign is a recognition of Jharkhandi identity. The party’s 75-point manifesto includes the promise of a domicile policy, end to outsourcing employment by prioritising locals, establishment of anti-corruption bureaus at the block level, Sarna dharma code, implementation of the PESA rules, and a protection for Kurmis and other non-Adivasi communities on the lines of EWS, among others.
‘Our rights’
“No other leader, or MLA has ever spoken about our rights before like Jairam Mahato,” said Baijanath Mahato who works at his village’s ration shop in Dumri.
“In villages there are several land disputes, which end up as those with money taking away our land. This will stop if he wins. He always talks about putting locals first. If tomorrow we get a factory, then 90% of those employed will be locals. Not like how it happens now that most of the jobs go to outsiders and we don’t get anything.”
The resurgence of Jharkhandi identity politics has found appeal in voters in a state, which is mineral-rich but has remained economically backward. According to the Niti Aayog’s first multidimensional poverty index released in 2023, Jharkhand is the poorest state in India after Bihar. The state also suffers from migration and displacement due to lack of development and employment opportunities.
Also read: Jharkhand’s Poll Outcome Hinges on Two Variables – the Congress and Jairam Mahato
“His support has grown because the issues he is raising are important – that 40% of India’s minerals come from Jharkhand, but we have remained as one of the most backward states in the country,” said Ankit Mathur, who runs a wholesale grains business in Dumri and adjoining areas.
“Our coal mines power the whole country but Jharkhand has electricity issues. Coal India operations are here but its head office is in Kolkata. Young students and job seekers are leaving the state because there are no employment opportunities. These are important issues,” he said.
“Jairam Mahato is the only one talking about Jharkhandi identity. Look at the other parties, they have given tickets to outsiders. Most importantly, he is well educated and it shows. We will vote for an educated MLA who can make us progress, rather than those who are not,” said Parkash Shah Mahato, who works as an auto driver.
An alternative
While Mahato’s emergence as a Kurmi leader will offset the influence in the community held by Sudesh Mahato and his AJSU, JLKM is also looking to present itself as an alternative to all the parties including the BJP, JMM and Congress.
“All political parties today fight elections on money power, but we are fighting these elections on people’s power,” said Mahato.
JLKM flags along with AJSU flags in Dumri. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta/The Wire.
“All the expenses that we have incurred in this election has been through crowd funding. We are not here to only win elections. Our motto is to win elections in a principled manner. If a JMM leader goes to BJP or vice versa, they are rewarded with tickets. We also had several ministers and MLAs’ sons who came to us for tickets but we refused saying that we don’t do politics of nepotism. We will not do blood relation politics, if the father is an MLA the son will not get a ticket from our party.
“These aspects make us different. Whether it is in India or in Jharkhand state, if our economy is backward it is because a few people have concentrated all the wealth. We have said that if our MLAs win they will not increase their property, wealth outside their zillas. So there are many such aspects that make us different from JMM, Congress, BJP, AJSU and that is why people’s love is coming to us,” he added.
While the JLKM has provided an alternative to the people against established parties, critics say that he only enjoys the youth’s support and can at best emerge as the runner-up. The party is also facing charges of being propped up by the BJP to cut into the INDIA bloc’s votes.
JLKM Banner. Photo: Sravasti Dasgupta/The Wire.
“Mahato is getting a lot of media attention because he has a large social media following and his rallies are attracting large crowds. There is a wind in his favour. But if you see the candidates that he has put up, in areas where the AJSU is strong, he has given strong faces but in areas where the BJP is strong, his candidates are weak. Look at Dumri where the AJSU has had a strong presence, here Mahato is contesting himself. The endgame seems to be to bring down the AJSU, cut into the INDIA bloc’s votes and help the BJP in forming the government,” said a business owner in Dumri who did not want to be named.
Mahato however denied such allegations as “baseless” and said that his party has fielded “strong candidates in all constituencies” irrespective of which party has held sway earlier.
However, the party being seen as an alternative by the people is likely to cause trouble for both NDA and INDIA.
“We have already given a chance to other parties, so why not him now? Only if you give a candidate a chance will you know whether they will work or not,” said Pinky Devi who works as a labourer about 10kms away from Dumri town.
On his part, Mahato has ruled out being part of any alliance, should the election results fail to give a clear majority to either alliance.
“There has been no talks yet with any party. We are not thinking of that yet. We are only thinking of improving ourselves. Any alliance that we enter into will depend on the people’s verdict. Right now we are fighting on our own and we are trying to gather the support to be able to govern this state on our own,” Mahato said, as he looks to emerge as a challenger that could upset the equations of both the established alliances.
