Jharkhand: With Babulal Marandi named LoP, will BJP now pick a non-tribal as its state chief?

BJP Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi was picked up as the leader of the legislative party, enabling him to become the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. Marandi was elected as the leader in the presence of central party observers, OBC Morcha chief K. Laxman and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.

While, Marandi was expected to be picked given he was the party’s face during the Jharkhand elections, where the ruling Hemant Soren-led JMM was victorious, it took over 100 days since the results were declared. The delay in picking up the leader of the opposition in the tribal-dominated state had led to speculation in the state. As BJP has picked up Marandi, a tribal leader and also the state’s first chief minister, as the LoP, this means that a new state president will now have to be chosen.

Ideally, now, a non-tribal would be picked up. Earlier when Marandi was the state president, Amar Kumar Bauri, a Dalit, was the LoP. The party adopts this balancing of castes to give representations to different castes in the state. This is the second time Marandi has become the leader of the opposition. He was earlier the LoP from 2020 to 2023 when Deepak Prakash was the state president.

The new state president is likely to be picked up soon. Whether he is picked before the new national party president is elected or later is yet to be seen. 

Currently, the BJP organisational elections are on. Thirteen state presidents have been picked out of 36. When the number crosses 18, the process of electing the new party president, replacing J.P. Nadda, will formally begin.

In Marandi, the BJP has betted on the tribal vote base. Under Marandi’s leadership, the BJP’s performance in the last assembly elections dipped as compared to 2019. In 2024, BJP got 21 seats, while it had won 25 in 2019.

If the BJP goes on to change the state president, it will also be done with eyes on the neighbouring Bihar which goes to polls later this year. The RJD which is the main opposition party in Bihar had won four seats in Jharkhand, in alliance with the JMM, Congress and the Left parties. The BJP had contested the 2024 assembly polls in alliance with its Bihar partners, the JDU and the Lok Janshakti Party (RV).