Bested in Jharkhand

THE Jharkhand Assembly election result is a setback for the ruling BJP, but also a refreshing sign of resilience of Indian democracy that keeps correcting the course of the political narrative, reinforcing hope for a pluralistic polity. The saffron party’s loss comes a year after its defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, even as it survived a scare in Haryana a couple of months ago and failed to form the government in Maharashtra despite emerging as the single-largest party. While the BJP continues to rule at the Centre, having got a resounding majority in the Lok Sabha elections, several states have voted for alternatives.

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Raghubar Das became the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand to have completed a five-year term, but the alienation of tribal people who resented the changes in land laws and saw these as an attempt to deprive them of their rights added to the anti-incumbency, along with the after-effects of economic policies — rising joblessness and a bleak entrepreneurial scenario. For a state that was the hub of industrialisation, with cities like Jamshedpur and Bokaro bearing testimony to the transformation of independent India and its minerals laying the foundation for many an enterprise, attracting workforce from all over, the downturn is an unfortunate development.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has ridden the crest of this anti-BJP wave, along with a nonchalant Congress and a languorous Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) that has struggled to keep itself afloat with Lalu Prasad Yadav in jail. The portents are obvious. Jharkhand is set to witness —for the first time — a pre-poll alliance coming to power. The RJD was given seats bordering Bihar to contest and its win will send signals there. Out of power at the Centre, the Congress has kept chipping away at the BJP in the states, keeping itself relevant. For the BJP, it’s time for introspection. The outcome of the state elections may not be a referendum on the Centre’s performance, but it does show that the winds of change have started blowing.