Will Jairam Mahto’s Jharkhand Loktrantik Krantikari Morcha play spoilsport to regular celebrations in Jharkhand? | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Will Jairam Mahto, popularly known as Jairam Tiger Mahto, play spoilsport for the mainstream political parties in Jharkhand? Jairam, who has made a name for himself as a Kurmi leader, made an impressive show during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, polling nearly 3.5 lakh votes as an independent in the Giridih Lok Sabha seat.
Jairam came into limelight in the last two years with his campaign for awareness in the local Jharkhandi language, under the banner of Jharkhandi Bhasha-Khatiyan Sangharsh Samiti. The young leader led protests in the state demanding use of only local language and also only jobs for people from Jharkhand in the state. He has significant support among the youth of the Mahto community.
Jairam launched his political party – Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) – ahead of the Assembly elections and has nominated candidates in several seats. He himself is contesting from two seats: Dumri and Bermo. What makes Jairam politically important is the fact that he hails from the Kurmi or Mahto community, which comprises 22% of the state’s total population. This is the second largest group after the tribes and has traditionally voted along strong caste lines.
Jairam’s rise to Jharkhand’s political landscape could challenge the dominance of Sudesh Mahto, head of the All Jharkhand Students Union, who is a junior ally of the BJP and has helped the party consolidate the Mahto vote for the NDA. In the 2019 Assembly elections, AJSU and BJP could not reach an agreement on seat sharing and were contested separately. Both parties fared poorly and the NDA lost power after its five-year rule. This time AJSU is back in the NDA fold and the coalition is confident of returning to power.
The exit polls predict a tight battle in Jharkhand. The polls predict a hung assembly in the state, with the BJP-led NDA and the JMM-led INDIA bloc locked in a neck-and-neck race. While most pollsters have predicted an advantage for the BJP in a close contest, one pollster has predicted that the JMM-led INDIA bloc will score a clear and decisive victory.
Jharkhand exit poll results

The caste-wise vote share predicted by Axis My India, which predicts a huge win over the INDIA bloc, provides an interesting insight. The pollster predicts that 60% of Mahatos in the state will support Jairam Mahto’s JLKM and only 24% will vote for the NDA. The INDIA bloc is expected to get only 12% of the community votes. If this prediction comes true, both mainstream coalitions will clearly take a hit due to Jairam Mahto’s presence in the political fray. However, we will know who suffers more on November 23 when the votes are counted.