New Delhi: The BJP’s campaign posters in Jharkhand, focusing primarily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have drawn much attention, with many seeing them as part of the party’s new strategy as it prepares for the second phase of the assembly elections.
Modi features prominently across the posters, including those on social media, along with the party’s lotus symbol, and the tagline, ‘Roti, beti, maati ki pukaar, Jharkhand mai Bhajapa sarkar’—the BJP’s core message. None of the state leaders are on these posters.
After the setback in the Lok Sabha elections in June, the BJP played down the PM’s presence during the campaigning ahead of the Haryana assembly elections in October. He addressed only four rallies in the state. Therefore, the move to project him as the face of the party in Jharkhand is being seen in political circles as a reflection of the BJP’s growing confidence in the results.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, senior Jharkhand BJP leader Sunil Kumar said, “We have an undisputed leadership in PM Modi and we are proud of that so naturally we will showcase him as far as elections are concerned.”
The BJP leader said that since the party is not in power in the state, it’s highlighting the work done by the Modi government at the Centre.
“Chehro ki kami nahi hai BJP ko (There’s no dearth of faces in BJP). We have senior leaders such as (former CM) Arjun Munda ji, (former CM) Champai Soren ji, (BJP state chief ) Babulal Marandi ji, and (Union minister) Annapurna Devi ji. But the party has taken a decision to conduct these elections under a collective leadership. We are not in power and hence there is no CM. This is why the latest posters only focus on PM Modi,” he added.
The PM has also held mega roadshows and rallies in Jharkhand. On Sunday, he took part in a 3-km roadshow in Ranchi, with thousands of people lining along the route to catch a glimpse of him.
According to a Jharkhand BJP functionary, the party is trying to win Jharkhand using the same strategy as Chhattisgarh and Odisha and, hence, it is fighting the polls using a central face instead of a local face.
“The entire world believes in Modi ji’s guarantee. This is why the posters are showcasing him and the work done under him,” he added.
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CM face not yet announced
The latest posters mention the schemes that the BJP will implement if it comes to power. The theme is ‘BJP’s pran’ (pledge). It was also the title and theme of the manifesto which prominently featured PM Modi. In the 76-page document, Modi appeared several times, from distributing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY) to engaging with children.
According to party functionary quoted above, there were some posters, including the one which was put up during the manifesto launch, where space was given to prominent state leaders. For instance, in September this year, the party released a poster with the tagline ‘Parivartan’ (change).
“In this poster, PM Modi, J.P. Nadda, Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Amar Kumar Bauri (Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand assembly) were given space. However, the party does not want there to be any confusion regarding the CM’s face, which is why it does not want to highlight one single leader,” said the party leader.
“The absence of key BJP leaders like Babulal Marandi and former CM Arjun Munda from the posters is being talked about. One of the reasons being cited by many party leaders is that as the BJP has decided not to declare a CM face it does not even want to indicate who the CM could be,” he added.
So far, the state leaders have also stayed quiet on the issue of who the CM could be if the party comes to power. Marandi, one of the frontrunners for the post, has said that a decision regarding this would be taken after the elections.
The first phase of voting in the Jharkhand elections was held on 13 November. The second phase will be held on 20 November while the counting of votes will be carried out on 23 November.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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