Will Mohan Charan Majhi as Odisha CM have Impact on Jharkhand Assembly Polls?

Bhubaneswar: The BJP has chosen Mohan Charan Majhi as its surprise choice for the post of Chief Minister in Odisha.

Majhi is a non-controversial tribal politician with a strong RSS connection and a four-time BJP MLA.

Political analysts feel coming Assembly polls in Jharkhand bordering Odisha may be factor that made the BJP chose Majhi as its CM in Odisha.

In Jharkhand, the NDA won nine of 14 Lok Sabha seats, while in 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP won 12 seats. The BJP-led NDA experienced defeats at tribal seats Dumka, Khunti and Lohardaga. The BJP also lost the ST-reserved seat of Singbhum in Jharkhand which borders Odisha.

It is being said that by making Majhi the CM of Odisha, the BJP is trying to woo back the tribal voters in adjoining Jharkhand. Assembly polls are to be held in Jharkhand in October-November.

Keonjhar, from where Mohan Majhi has won the Assembly election four times in arrow is an ST-reserved seat. The Keonjhar town is only 50 km from the Jharkhand border. BJP leaders feel that choice of Mohan Majhi as the CM of Odisha may have an impact on elections in tribal areas of Jharkhand.

As part of the same strategy, Odisha’s another veteran tribal leader, Jual Oram was included in the Central cabinet. Both Majhi and Oram are expected to campaign in Jharkhand during the coming Assembly polls.

The present Governor of Odisha is Raghubar Das, a former Chief Minister of Jharkhand.