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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Jharkhand election co-in-charge, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has expressed confidence in the BJP's chances of securing a victory in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, stating the party intends to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Santhal Pargana if elected.
Sarma, speaking with ANI, alleged that "intruders" had entered the state with the state government's knowledge and suggested they were benefiting from state resources, which he claims have been facilitated by local authorities. "Yesterday as well, we saw an internal letter from the Jharkhand government stating that intruders are being trained in madrasas and provided with Aadhar cards. We believe that after these elections, the BJP will form the government and implement the NRC in Santhal Pargana," Sarma said.
In a related statement, Sarma demanded the Congress expel its member, Irfan Ansari, due to what he described as "derogatory remarks" directed at Sita Soren, a member of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also spoke out on the matter, claiming that Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha have prioritised vote-bank politics over the welfare of tribal communities. Dubey suggested that the recent growth in the region's Muslim population is due to an influx of Bangladeshi infiltrators, attributing an 11 per cent rise to this demographic change. According to him, this increase is far above national trends, which show only a 4 per cent growth. Dubey stated, "In 1951, Muslims made up 9 per cent of the population, but today, they constitute 24 per cent. Across the country, the population has increased by 4 per cent, but in Santhal Pargana, it has gone up by 15 per cent. These 11 per cent are Bangladeshi infiltrators, which the Jharkhand government is reportedly accepting. For the BJP, this issue goes beyond elections; it's a national issue."
Elections for Jharkhand's 81 assembly seats will be held over two phases on November 13 and November 20. In total, 2.60 crore voters are expected to cast their ballots, with the state recording 1.31 crore male voters, 1.29 crore female voters, and 11.84 lakh first-time voters. The elections also see a large demographic of young voters, totalling 66.84 lakh.
In the previous Jharkhand assembly election, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha emerged with 30 seats, while BJP won 25, and Congress secured 16 seats.
(With inputs from ANI)
