Down but not out, Munda remains Arjun in Kharsawan battle
RANCHI | Friday, February 18, 2011

VIJAY DEO JHA / PARVINDAR BHAT

RANCHI / JAMSHEDPUR

If Kharsawan largely decided to stay with BJP candidate and chief minister Arjun Munda, it did not reject JVM chief Babulal Marandi either.

Munda on Thursday; won the Kharsawan by-election against his only rival, Dashrath Gagrai aka Krishna Gagrai of the JVM, by a modest margin of 17,366 votes. Munda netted 61,701 votes against a total poll cast of around 70 against Gagrai who ended much impressively with 44,335 votes.

The tally is much below the expectation of his own party that expected him to repeat his impressive victory for the fourth consecutive time. Munda entered into the electoral politics for the first time in 1995 as the JMM candidate when he defeated his Congress rival and stalwart, Vijay Singh Soi.

The election result has come with a bold message: Kharsawan belongs to Munda — not his party, mind you. Assembly election 2000, Munda contested from Kharsawan as the BJP candidate against Congress' Vijay Singh Soi. Voters whacked Soi so badly in the poll fray that the man withdrew from active politics thereafter. A critical edge of around 15.60 per cent over Soi had hustled him to win. He left his opponents to gnash and grind in 2005 when he defeated Congress' Kunti Soi with an unbridgeable margin of 55,334 votes.

Even in 2009, when he fielded Mangal Singh Soi - more a doorkeeper than his aide - it was Munda who was pulled the strings. In 2005, Munda had set a benchmark of victory for himself that he was wished and widely reported to maintain. But how come, the man himself did not know?

But then, politics to him is much like the game of golf that he passionately played at the Golf Club in Jamshedpur even when the counting was going on. It was even when he was trailing by a margin of 21 and 807 votes in the second and fourth round of the counting. He was perfect in pushing the ball to the hole when he registered a remarkable lead over the JVM candidate in the sixth round that he maintained till last.

Munda will not like to answer pointed posers whether the reduced winning margin, is a doctoral pulse of ground slowly turning against him.

"Margin does not matter in the winning. The election was fought by the people of Kharsawan and they have won. People have reposed faith in me and my government. My opponents had spread endless rumours during the campaign. They have been answered by the people," he told the media.

After the result, images started rolling on the television screen; Marandi and Munda engaged in a verbal duel claiming people on their side.

"Then why his ministers were camping for him if he claims people fought on his side. We had no base in Kharsawan, yet we netted so many votes against him even though our candidate is a rookie," Marandi said displaying no sign of defeat.

Privately, Marandi's observation will disturb Munda when he sits down to figure out the poll puzzle. But right now, he can draw solace in the fact that his winning has given a new lease of life to his government.

Munda in fact, made no mistake in discerning Marandi's strategy to engage him on key and contentious issues: PESA Act, CNT Act, displacement of tribals in the name of establishing industry.

But then, Munda dismayed Marandi, the chief architect of Opposition unity at the end of the day. Munda was actively supported and canvassed during campaigning by his alliance partners in the government: JMM, AJSU and JD (U).

The election result has come with a premium for Marandi, he can encash it in the coming days. At least, the result has firmly pronounced the future role of the JVM as a credible Opposition to BJP.

The election of Kharsawan is not the first and the last of its kind. On Thursday, Munda's deputy and JMM leader Hemant Soren congratulated Munda on behalf of his party and president, Shibu Soren.

"The combine effort of the alliance partners worked in the election. We expect him to work for development. We expect him to honour the coalition dharma in the coming days," Hemant said.

You can give expectation another name: Jamshedpur parliamentary constituency. After supporting Munda for Kharsawan, the JMM has now demanded Jamshedpur which will be vacated soon after Munda resigns from here.