Ranchi/Giridih: At least a dozen Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including sitting and former legislators, have joined the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha during the ongoing assembly elections in Jharkhand. The BJP, long accustomed to benefiting from such defections, was looking for a high-profile recruit to shift the narrative. Mandal Murmu, the proposer for Hemant Soren from Berhait, was seen as a potential asset. Nishikant Dubey, a Member of Parliament from Godda, also met with Murmu on Sunday. However, it appears that the JMM has thwarted its rival’s plans.
On October 24, incumbent Chief Minister Hemant Soren filed his nomination for re-election from Berhait, with Mandal Murmu as one of his proposers.
Who is Mandal Murmu?
The 29-year-old Murmu hails from Bhognadih, Sahibganj. His social media bio notes that he is a descendant of Sidhu Kanhu, a 1855 freedom fighter and an iconic figure among tribals. Murmu, who has an engineering background and is active in social work, reportedly faced a health crisis in 2020 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. JMM figures, including former MLA Sita Soren and Hemant Soren, assisted in his treatment.
According to Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, Murmu had come to meet him and was on his way to Ranchi to meet senior BJP leaders.
The entire episode
This episode gained public attention when, while crossing through Giridih district, Mandal Murmu was stopped by the Giridih police. At 1:47 PM, Nishant Dubey posted a photo with Murmu on social media, alleging that he had been arrested by Giridih police while en route to meet senior BJP leaders in Ranchi, and called on the Election Commission to investigate.
A few hours later, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya clarified at a press briefing in the state capital that Giridih police had detained Murmu’s vehicle on suspicion, as the occupants of the vehicle could not provide satisfactory answers. The spokesperson also alleged that Murmu might have been kidnapped. However, he was subsequently released from Giridih police custody by three officials: Chief Election Commissioner K Ravi Kumar and IPS officers Sanjay Anand Latekar and AV Homkar.
“We have demanded that the Election Commission remove all three officials, particularly the Chief Election Commissioner, as under his oversight, free and fair elections cannot be ensured,” Bhattacharya stated at the press conference. The JMM has also shared its formal complaint with the Election Commission.
When asked about Murmu’s current whereabouts, Bhattacharya replied, “We have no information on where Mandal Murmu is at present.”
Since the announcement of the assembly polls, several major BJP figures have defected to the JMM, including Kedar Hazra and Umakant Rajak (both sitting MLAs), former minister and MLA Louis Marandi, ex-legislators Kunal Sarangi, Amit Mahto, Ghatsila’s Ganesh Mahali, and Laxman Tuddu. Other leaders, such as former MP Kameshwar Baitha (currently with the TMC) and BSP’s Videndra Saw, have also joined the JMM.
Sources suggest that additional BJP leaders may soon switch allegiance to the JMM.
Two months ago, in August, former Chief Minister Champai Soren and Lobin Hembron from the JMM also defected.
