Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren, heading a coalition government with the JMM, Congress and the RJD, stressed booth-level preparedness among JMM workers in Gamharia.

This area falls under the Seraikela Assembly segment, part of the Singhbhum Lok Sabha constituency, which is Champai’s home turf.

This move gains significance as the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat braces for a fierce battle between incumbent MP Geeta Koda, who switched allegiance from Congress to BJP in February, and four-term MLA and former minister Joba Majhi, representing the JMM under the INDIA bloc. Singhbhum is slated for polls on May 13.

A senior JMM leader in Seraikela revealed that feedback had been relayed to the chief minister regarding the need to uplift the morale of grassroots workers due to simmering discontent over the selection of a non-Ho tribal candidate, Joba Majhi — a Santhal tribal — in a predominantly Ho tribal parliamentary seat.

“We are uncertain about the rationale behind fielding a non-Ho tribal candidate in the Singhbhum parliamentary seat, but we anticipate a tough challenge against Geeta Koda this time. Despite the coal scam taint associated with her husband, Madhu Koda, Geeta Koda still holds sway among the Ho community, with considerable support from Congress, backed by JMM. In light of this, JMM’s booth-level workers must be proactive and persuade voters at each booth ahead of the elections,” expressed a JMM leader at the district level in Seraikela-Kharsawan.

The same leader opined that ideally, a Ho tribal leader like Dasrath Gagrai should have been fielded.

“The tribals in this region harbour antipathy towards the BJP and would have rallied behind a Ho tribal candidate. Dasrath Gagrai, JMM MLA from the Kharswan Assembly segment, was actively campaigning for the JMM in Singhbhum and would have been the most suitable candidate to challenge Geeta Koda,” said the leader.

In another development, Champai convened consecutive meetings with booth-level leaders of Seraikela at two hotels in Gamharia on Saturday evening.

Champai imparted guidance to workers and booth committee members from Gamharia and Adityapur to secure victory for the JMM and alliance party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.

Champai criticised the BJP-led central government for favouring capitalists exclusively.

“The BJP government caters solely to capitalists’ interests and prioritises the exploitation of mineral resources for their benefit. In contrast, our state government has initiated several people-centric schemes, including pensions for women, tribals, and Dalits over 50 years of age. Despite the Centre’s refusal to allocate funds, we are independently providing housing to the homeless. Booth-level workers must disseminate information about these schemes and the failures of the central government to voters,” said Champai.

Exuding confidence in the INDIA bloc securing victory across all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, Champai urged booth-level workers to diligently fulfil their responsibilities.