Former Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. File |Photo Credit: PTI
Raghubar Das, who recently resigned from the post of Odisha governor, is all set to return to Jharkhand politics after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s debacle in the assembly elections. Most likely, the former Jharkhand chief minister will rejoin the BJP within a week. Party sources also said that he would be given a respectable post in the party.
His return to national politics is also seen as a wake-up call for Jharkhand BJP leader Babulal Marandi, who failed to win the seats his party wanted after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led Indian bloc won a majority and formed the government. It will be done.
Das received a grand welcome from the BJP workers when he landed at the Ranchi airport on Thursday. His supporters chanted slogans with a music band in support of him.
Party insiders said Das wanted to return to active politics during the Jharkhand assembly elections, but the party high command did not allow him due to factionalism within the party. .
Nevertheless, his influence in the assembly elections was so great when his daughter-in-law Purnima Das Sahu bagged an election ticket from Jamshedpur East Assembly constituency and defeated Congress candidate Dr. Ajoy Kumar. It was clear that
Mr. Das has represented Jamshedpur East seat five times so far, but the incumbent CM at the time was independent candidate Saryu, a rebel BJP leader and now a Janata Dal (Unified) MLA from Jamshedpur West. – Lost to Mr. Roy.
He was appointed Governor of Odisha on October 18, 2023 and served in the position for over 14 months. The return of Das, an OBC leader who became the state’s first non-tribal CM in 2014, poses a bigger challenge for Marandi, Jharkhand’s first CM, who currently heads the party.
Party officials said Mr Das is likely to replace Mr Marandi and there is a possibility that Mr Marandi will take over as Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly to maintain a balance between non-tribal and tribal leadership. Said it was expensive. In fact, Mr. Das was sent from Jharkhand by the Bharatiya Janata Party to give Mr. Marandi a free hand and to benefit tribal leaders.
However, the party’s poor performance forced major personnel changes in the state’s central leadership.
In the Jharkhand state election, the JMM-led Indian bloc won 56 of the 81 parliamentary seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won only 24 seats, less than the number of seats it won in the previous parliamentary elections. In this election, the BJP won only 21 seats.
After its humiliating defeat, the Bharatiya Janata Party revealed in an internal survey that non-tribal voters, who constitute 74% of the total population, received less attention compared to 26% of tribal voters.
The BJP believes that his active participation in Jharkhand politics will strengthen its non-tribal vote bank along with the OBC vote bank.
When asked by reporters about his new role in Jharkhand at his official luncheon, Das said: “My role in Jharkhand will be decided by the central leadership. But one thing is for sure: whatever role the party gives me, I will carry it out with integrity. My only goal in life is to keep the BJP at the top.Whatever identity I have now, I owe it to the BJP.This is why I believe that the BJP is a great party where even small workers can reach the top. That’s why I always say that.”
issued – December 27, 2024 4:50 AM IST
