Ranchi: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which chose to contest the Assam assembly election independently, secured approximately 1.16% of the votes polled on Monday. The party failed to win any of the 16 seats it contested. Out of the 126 seats in the assembly poll held on April 9, JMM had initially named candidates for 21 seats. However, due to various last-minute glitches, it could only contest on 16 seats.
JMM's Performance in Assam
JMM president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren stated, "Out of the 16 seats, JMM finished second on two and secured over 15,000 votes on the remaining seven seats." While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained power for the third consecutive term, JMM appeared content with its performance. Soren added, "Whatever we achieved in limited time and resources would not have been possible without the cooperation, trust, and participation of our tribal brothers and sisters of Assam. The manner in which they stood by us in this fight is not only commendable but extremely encouraging."
Political Significance
Stating that the decision to contest in Assam was more than just a political expansion, Soren said, "It was also a concrete step to give a strong voice to the fight for the rights, dignity, and identity of the people belonging to the tribal, Dalit, and minority communities of that state. The plight of tribals in Assam — the lack of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, the absence of fair wages for tea plantation workers, and deprivation of land rights — are serious issues which laid the foundation for our struggle."
JMM's Role in West Bengal
In West Bengal, JMM decided to support the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC). The Jharkhand Chief Minister, along with his wife and Gandey MLA Kalpana Soren, participated in around a dozen rallies in constituencies bordering Jharkhand. Criticizing the poll verdict in West Bengal, JMM termed the entire electoral process as 'unconstitutional'. JMM's central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "While the final tally for Bengal is still to come out, the entire election process was unconstitutional due to the kind of abuse of power by central agencies, including the Election Commission, by the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre."
