Ranchi, Dec 1 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an in-depth analysis of its defeat in the recently-held Jharkhand Assembly elections, conducting four marathon meetings at its state office in Ranchi, under the leadership of national General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh, over the weekend.
The party will present a comprehensive report to the national leadership based on the insights gathered from these meetings. A high-level review meeting, chaired by BJP President J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on December 3.
During the two-day deliberations held on Saturday and Sunday, defeated candidates, district presidents, in-charges, and leaders of party fronts shared their inputs and deliberated upon the reasons for the poll defeat.
Several participants attributed the loss to vote erosion caused by the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM), which impacted BJP candidates in several constituencies.
The Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha made a strong debut in this election and secured around 10.51 lakh votes in the 69 constituencies it contested though it won one seat only. Party chief Jairam Mahato even defeated JMM's heavyweight candidate Baby Devi by about 11,000 votes.
The participants also flagged the presence of rebel candidates and infiltrators in key constituencies as a significant challenge.
The "Maiya Samman Yojana", a scheme introduced by the Hemant Soren government to transfer money to women’s accounts just before the elections, was also cited as a factor which swayed voters.
Successful candidates also shared campaign insights, which will aid in identifying areas for improvement.
Santhosh encouraged party members to treat the defeat as a lesson, emphasising the need to address weaknesses with greater energy. He stressed that organisational growth and policy promotion must be prioritised.
He also announced a strategic relaunch of the party’s membership drive in Jharkhand, which had been on hold due to the elections.
While acknowledging the disappointment, Santhosh highlighted a silver lining -- the BJP's vote share increased in the elections. He urged party workers to thank voters at the grassroots level and use upcoming municipal elections as an opportunity to redefine organisational strategies.
The review meetings were chaired by Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi. Key leaders including state in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai, acting state President Ravindra Kumar Ray, Regional Organisation Secretary Nagendra Nath Tripathi, and Jharkhand General Secretary Organisation Karmveer Singh actively participated.
Other attendees included Vice-President Balmukund Sahay and office minister Hemant Das, along with core committee members.
In the recently held elections, the JMM-led INDIA bloc secured a resounding victory securing 56 seats, while the BJP-led NDA managed to win just 24 seats in the 81-member House.
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