EVER since he became the chief minister of Jharkhand in 2019, Hemant Soren never missed an opportunity to reiterate that he is the only Adivasi CM'. However, that status has changed now. The decision of the BJP to appoint Adivasi leader Vishnu Deo Sai as the CM of Chhattisgarh surprised many, but political insiders believe this is a masterstroke by the party at a time when Soren's evocation of Sarna dharma against the Hindutva narrative has gained popularity among Adivasis in the Hindi heartland.
Notably, Sai is the first Adivasi CM of Chhattisgarh since the formation of the state in 2000. "The state has not got a single Adivasi CM even after having a 31 per cent tribal population. This decision is not only going to amend the past mistakes but also has broader implications in the bordering state of Jharkhand that is going to the polls in 2024," says an Adivasi activist based in Jharkhand.
Chhattisgarh was not the only surprise. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP brought in former education minister Mohan Yadav as the new face, sidelining four-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan-even though the party gained an overwhelming majority banking on schemes promoted by him and his popularity. Political analysts think that the appointment of Yadav as a CM will have multiple consequences. The strategic move is not only going to cater to the OBC vote bank in a state that is estimated to have more than 50 per cent OBC population; but it will also have an impact in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where the Yadavs have always sided with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), respectively.
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