The Bengal elections will put to test if the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and tribal leaders belonging to even other political parties have significant hold outside Jharkhand.

“We will announce candidates for the Bengal seats next week,” JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told The Telegraph on Sunday, adding there was also nothing final about their party's alliance with other political outfits till then.

The JMM had earlier said it would contest in about 30 Assembly seats in Bengal that had considerable tribal population, particularly in Jungle Mahal districts comprising Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram and West Midnapur and in tea gardens in north Bengal.

The Jungle Mahal seats will go for polls in the first and second phases on March 27 and April 1 respectively and as such, the party has to finalise the list of its candidates for those seats fast as they will have to file nomination papers latest by March 12 and then concentrate on campaign.

Though the political parties rooted in Jharkhand claim to enjoy considerable following among the tribal population in Bengal, the election results did not reflect that in the past.

The only exceptions were probably Naren Hansda and his wife Chunibala who had won Binpur seat in Jhargram in the past as candidates of Jharkhand Party (Naren) that Hansda had founded.

The upcoming Bengal elections will thus put the JMM to test and prove if the party that enjoyed so much support in Jharkhand also enjoys the same in tribal pockets of neighbouring Bengal.

The upcoming elections will also prove how popular the tribal leaders of Jharkhand are in that state.

Chief minister Hemant Soren has already addressed a public meeting in Jhargram recently and is also likely to do so elsewhere in that state. Some other leaders of the party are also likely to chip in.

The performance of the JMM will show how popular the party leaders are among the Bengal tribals.

The BJP has also deputed former chief minister Babulal Marandi who already addressed a few meetings in Bengal.

Another former Jharkhand CM and current Union minister Arjun Munda is also expected to campaign for the BJP.

“They all have been drafted with the sole purpose of netting tribal votes and the results will show these leaders’ popularity among the tribals of that state,” commented a tribal leader, adding language is a barrier and only those like Arjun Munda who he can speak Bengali can have some advantages.