Clamour for Raja banter for Soren

As Tamar goes to poll, charges spawn rumours

Yarns of stories of backroom maneuvering and vote management as Tamar goes for polls

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Monday, January 5, 2009 (Front Page)

The last eve of Tamar's momentous election was a restless moment for political parties and their candidates. Nobody knows what is in store; but the cold night of Tamar remained hot with speculation and unraveling stories about the backroom manoeuvring to manage booths and voters. This is an election after all.

The cascade of complaints is constantly travelling through wires to the office of the election commission of the gross violation of the model codes of conduct.

"So far more than a dozen of cases have been reported and four FIR registered," said Bundu SDO AK Poddar. But with one observer and 83 micro-observers working round the clock to detect violation cases with their fault finding glasses; the administration has not been not able to ascertain the complaints of distribution of money and the supply of booze to give a good hangover to the voters.

Ghanshyam, as he called himself, a local of Rauladih —situated three and half kilometers away from Bhuiadih — would tell you how the supporters of a candidate have been trying to mould the voters through money and assurance for the job of their family members. Rauladih has 500 voters mostly belonging to Mahto group, dominant in the socio-economic hierarchy of Jharkhand and the most sought after groups of voters to win the election: The candidates would say yes to it without qualm.

Sambhunath working as a private teacher and associated with a voluntary organisation shared the rumour of the supply of money to manage the votes of Rurgi. There are unspecific numbers of reports of the money distributed among the village headmen to ensure voters' turn out in the favour of the JMM candidate.

"I know that half a dozen of the ministers have been alluring the voters with money and tracksuit and a guaranteed job," Raja Peter, the candidate of Jharkhand Party, leveled this specific allegation.

But the JMM promptly rebuffed the allegation stating that Soren did not require such shady deal to win the election.

Peter, who till last day of the campaign, was mostly spotted in the remote area to cement electoral bond with invisible voters surged on the urban space of Tamar and Bundu for a final date with the voters.

He was followed with his supporters mainly youths, and stops at village Rugri, Dumra and Burudih to gauge the mood of voters. "People's mood is against Shibu Soren. And if election is held in a free and fair manner the result would reflect it," Peter said. He also quoted the letter sent by People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a banned outfit, to the village headmen to vote for Soren.

However, for the JMM the allegations are baseless and the party believes that its commitments for development would bear the fruit. For the JMM Soren was unnecessarily hounded, cursed, jeered and projected as a villain for his decision to choose Tamar to test his luck.

Confident that the issue of the development of Tamar will gain favour among the literate classes of the voters the JMM led one such door-to-door campaign at Tamar and Bundu. The bond of caste and the issue of nativity are being invoked, the rhetoric of a political change is battling the plea of development, loyalties are being redrawn afresh, treacheries are being committed, promises unfulfilled are coming to haunt and new promises are being made.

Addressing the party workers to shape the strategy for the poll, Soren made a last appeal to the voters to elect him from Tamar. Soren was quoted as suggesting his party workers to ensure that the election was held peacefully.

As Soren prepares for what is probably the biggest test of his political career, his soft notes for the Maoists and the alleged promises of support he got from PILF will probably ring sardonically true when he lapsed his cool on Sunday afternoon when some of the media persons tried to obtain his reaction over the veracity of the letter. It is in a jarring contrast with a man who has been contesting despite several odds and being lauded even by critics.