It's now Green everywhere in tribal heartland, Saffron fades

JMM’s Hemant Soren took charge as new Chief Minister of Jharkhand, pre-poll alliance with Congress and Rashtriya-Janta Dal did wonders uprooting BJP CM Raghubar Das lost his seat which goes to BJP-rebel and Independent candidate Saryu Rai New government has big task to fulfill aspirations of common masses, tribals, corporates among others Opposition gets a new boost in another state

- A K GUPTA

It’s Green everywhere with little signs of saffron in Jharkhand as the tribal-dominated state voted Jharkhand MuktiMorcha and prepoll alliance partners Congress and Rashtriya Janta Dal to power giving a clear mandate to serve 3.30 crore population of the mineral-rich state.

This is second decisive mandate by the voters of Jharkhand. First they did it in 2014 giving a clear mandate to BJP and ally and now in 2019 to the new political dispensation uprooting Raghubar Das government allegedly due to anti-tribal stands, chief minister’s sheer arrogance, previous government allegedly relaxing land laws to facilitate industries, in-fight amongst the BJP leadership among other.

The poll results have virtually pumped fresh bloods into the leadership of Congress as well as RJD as for the first time Congress could win as many as 16 seats in 81-strong assembly while RJD with a tally of only one seat is lucky enough to forge a pre-poll alliance at the juncture when Lalu Prasad is serving jail terms in Jharkhand in connection with the infamous fodder scam.

JMM’s tally of 30 seats makes the grand old party associated with Jharkhand separate statehood movement, the biggest one with Governor DroupadiMurmu administrating oath of the office to new Chief Minister Hemant Soren facilitating formation of next government in the state. The oath-taking ceremony took place on December 29 at sprawling Morabadi grounds in Ranchi. Besides Chief Minister Hemant Soren (he became Chief Minister for second time), Congress’s newly-elected MLAs RameshwarOraon (party’s state chief) and AlamgirAlam took oath while from RJD quota, lone MLA SatyanandBhokta was lucky enough to get a ministerial berth in the new cabinet.