In the run up to assembly poll, Congress appoints new Jharkhand Chief
Sources in the party said with upper caste playing the role of Jharkhand Congress who was Bhumihar by caste would not give political benefit to the party in tribal dominate state
Mallikarjun Kharge
| Photo Credit: THE HINDU
Ahead of the assembly election in Jharkhand, a major change has taken place in the tribal dominated state when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has replaced Rajesh Thakur and appointed Keshav Mahto Kamlesh as the new Jharkhand Congress Chief with immediate effect. The announcement was made late evening on August 16.
Sources in the party said the upper caste playing the role of Jharkhand Congress who was Bhumihar by caste would not give political benefit to the party.
The talk has already started in the political corridor of Jharkhand Congress that a leader from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Caste (ST) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) having the maximum population will send bigger message in the run up to assembly poll scheduled in November-December.
Mr. Kamlesh, former MLA of Silli assembly constituency was very close to Gyan Ranjan, former Rajya Sabha member and stalwart of Congress in Jharkhand.
In terms of population, the upper caste (8 per cent) with special reference to Bhumihar are not more than 1.5 percent in Jharkhand despite that, the Congress leadership had trusted an upper caste leader in comparison to the leaders of OBCs, ST and STs.
According to the 2011 Census, OBCs constitute 46 per cent of Jharkhand population, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) constitute 26 per cent, Scheduled Castes (SCs) 12 per cent and general is 16 per cent. Mr. Kamlesh who belongs from Mahto is an OBC and single largest caste after tribal in Jharkhand. The community has an impact on more than one dozen assembly seats.
The decision is well thought out plan when Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president and Chief Minister Hemant Soren will grab the tribal vote, Mr. Kamlesh will pull the OBC vote.
Mr. Thakur was made the Jharkhand head in September 2021 and it is believed that former Congress leader RPN Singh had played an important role for Thakur to get the position. He was then AICC Jharkhand In-charge and presently in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mr. Kamlesh who is a Kudmi by caste will also give a sleepless night to opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand who has only one support in terms of Mahto vote bank that its alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) led by Sudesh Mahto.
Several organisations in Jharkhand including one led by Jairam Kumar Mahato of Jharkhandi Bhasha Khatiyan Sangharsh Samiti (JBKSS) which secured more than 8.2 lakh votes in recent Lok Sabha polls are demanding to include Mahto in ST category.
It is believed that, one of the reasons, Mr. Kamlesh has been appointed Jharkhand Chief because Kumdi caste are not happy with BJP as the former BJP leader and tribal affairs and agriculture minister Arjun Munda as rejected the demanded to include Kudmi in the list of ST when he was serving the post.
At the same time, Mr. Kharge also appointed Rameshwar Oraon as the leader of Congress Legislative Party in Jharkhand assembly as the post was vacant after the imprisonment of Alamgir Alam in commission scam.
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