Jharkhand has been traditionally getting a tribal chief minister but the BJP may like to break this practice and may, if it gets a majority, like to have a non-tribal CM. Modi and Shah want new and young face as CM as seen in Haryana (Moharlal Khattar) and Maharashtra (Phadnavis). A BJP senior leader has been quoted as saying saying: “Why can’t Jharkhand have a non-tribal CM this time like neighbouring Chhattisgarh. If Haryana could break Jat monopoly and Maharashtra shatter Maratha myth, Jharkhand too can surely look beyond tribal for a Chief Minister”. The percentage of tribal too has been steadily declining from 35 per cent in 1951 to 27.6 per cent in 2001 to 26.66 per cent in 2011.

So far as Jharkhand is concerned names of three non-tribal – Yashwant Sinha, Raghuvar Das and Sarayu Rai – are already doing rounds. But it will not be so easy for the BJP to have a non-tribal CM. RSS would not like this message – of non-tribal CM – spread and tribal turn against the BJP. In the event of the RSS insisting that a tribal should be CM, to keep the missionaries off, Modi and Amit Shah would have to fall in line.

The only tribal CM face in the BJP is that of Arjun Munda. He is experienced and knows how to deal with industrialists and make bureaucracy work. He record is also clean and there is no stigma of corruption against him. However, his only drawback is that he is an old face, too well-known and does not fit in Modi-Shah experiment of brining in new faces.

Jharkhand is bigger than Jammu and Kashmir and its electoral size is two-and-a-half times larger. While J&K assembly has a strength of 87, the strength of Jharkhand assembly is only 81. This is one reason why the state always has a large number of political parties in the fray chasing few seats.

Jharkhand, since its inception, has suffered from instability. In just 14 years the state has nine governments, three spells of President’s rule and as many as five chief ministers – all of them tribals – with some of them sworn-in more than once. The first government in 2000 was a BJP-led one, headed by Babulal Marandi, known for his honesty and integrity. But unlike Chattisgarh, also formed in 2000, the BJP has struggled to win a majority in the Jharkhand assembly.

This is because of the complex milieu of the state with different tribes, an expatriate population, miners and industrial workers, large influx of people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after 2000 and the Christian church entrenched in several pockets all adding to confusion.

Rampant corruption is one of the main issue in the current election. An interesting comment, attributed to one of former Chief Minister, is often quoted to bring home the point how corruption engulfed the successive governments;“Corruption is like a train, which goes on uninterrupted, only the driver changes”.

Since Jharkhand's creation in 2000, when it was carved out from the hilly southern districts of Bihar, five persons have served as the state's chief minister, across three assembly terms. Two each belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and one independent (Madhu Koda). In between their reigns, the state has also been under President's Rule thrice. While the BJP's Babulal Marandi was the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, his party-mate Arjun Munda is the longest-serving – over five years, across three terms. Shibu Soren of the JMM has also served three terms. His son Hemant Soren is the incumbent chief minister, following his swearing-in on 13 July 2013.

Babu Lal Marandi, who was the first BJP Chief Minister of Jharkhand, is also in the fray. His 28-month-long rule was corruption free and marked by good governance but honesty does not always pay in politics; he developed differences with the BJP, and had to leave the party. He is now national president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and a Member of Parliament from Koderma Lok Sabha constituency.

Marandi says he is open to anyone’s support after the elections but will not compromise on issues, particularly on the issue of corruption. “Muddon se hat kar, mudra ke leya support nahin lunga”. (I will not deviate from issues and not take support for money). He is ready to become CM again but will he get support? Let’s wait for poll results by the end of the month. (IPA Service)