Chief minister Hemant Soren said on Friday that a special Assembly session would be convened before Statehood Day on November 15 to pass a resolution in favour of a separate Sarna code ahead of the 2021 nationwide census, agreeing to a long-standing demand of the tribal community.

Hemant’s announcement comes days before the November 3 byelections in Dumka and Bermo, both constituencies that have of late seen an iteration of the Sarna code demand.

Addressing a press conference in Dumka, Hemant said, “I too am equally concerned about the Sarna code like several other tribals who have been struggling for long to get it. My government is serious about it and we have decided to convene a special Assembly session very soon so that we can pass a resolution in its favour and send it to the Government of India by November 15, Jharkhand’s Statehood Day.”

The chief minister said he had also spoken with governor Droupadi Murmu and would, in a day or two, send a formal proposal to Raj Bhavan for convening the special session.

Hemant, along with his father and JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, has been camping in Dumka for the last few days to oversee the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance’s campaign for the byelections.

For the last few days, Hemant has been touring Dumka and Bermo extensively, canvassing for candidates of the alliance. But of the two, Dumka is a prestige seat for JMM as the party has fielded Hemant’s younger brother, Basant. The Opposition BJP has fielded former minister Louise Marandi as an NDA candidate in Dumka, while former MLA Yogeshwar Mahto Batul will take on alliance candidate Kumar Jaimangal in Bermo.

Hemant’s announcement, days before the bypolls, is an attempt to consolidate the tribal vote in the face of widespread demonstrations in favour of a separate Sarna code. JMM central committee members had also written to him, advocating a special Assembly session to pass a resolution.

For tribals, a separate Sarna code in the Census will be key to a distinct identity, as opposed to being classified as Hindus, Muslims or Christians. Hemant endorses their view saying that tribals, or followers of Sarna _ nature worshippers _ deserve a separate place in the Census to retain their identity. In September, churches of Jharkhand also threw their weight behind the demand by writing to the chief minister in favour of a separate Sarna code.