Politics of Jharkhand

Jharkhand was recognized as an independent state on 15th Nov 2000. So, this day is celebrated as the Foundation Day of Jharkhand. Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand, and consequently, is the epicenter of the politics of Jharkhand. Total number of the Lok Sabha members from the state of Jharkhand is fourteen, whereas the total strength of the Jharkhand Assembly is 82. Out of these 82, 1 is being nominated while the remaining 81 are been elected. The Chief Minister of Jharkhand presently is Shri Madhu Koda. He joined the office on 18th September 2006 and is the first independent candidate to grace the seat of Chief Minister in India.

The President of India appoints the Governor who heads the state of Jharkhand. But, the actual executive powers are in the hands of the Chief Minister as well as the cabinet.

The government of Jharkhand is formed by the political parties that have a majority in the Legislative Assembly.The Chief Justice heads the judiciary. The state of Jharkhand comprises of 18 administrative districts. Jharkhand comes under one of those thirteen states which were considerably influenced by the Naxalite rebels.

Sunil Mahato, who was the member of the national parliament, was shot dead on 5th of March 2007 by the naxalite rebels. Extremist violence is plaguing the politics of Jharkhand, and Naxalite menace has emerged as a scar on face of Jharkhand politics. The Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh expressed that these Naxalites possess the greatest threat to the internal security of the country. He couldn't have been more right. Maoists and other Naxalite groups endeavour to set up a Compact Revolutionary Zone that will extend from Nepal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. This is a matter of grave concern for the security of Jharkhand and other affected states, and unless these extremist elements are eliminated by the state machinery, the political climate of Jharkhand will not attain normalcy.

Some Political Parties of Jharkhand

1. Jharkhand Vananchal Congress - This is a political party in Jharkhand headed by Mr. Samresh Singh. He is the only member of the Jharkhand Vananchal Congress of the legislative assembly of the state of Jharkhand.

2. Marxist Coordination Committee- It was formerly known as the Janwadi Kisan Sangram Samiti or Democratic Peasants Struggle Association, which was headed by AK Roy. He was a local communist leader who was expelled from CPI(M). The Janwadi Kisan Sangram Samiti was later renamed as the Marxist Coordination Committee. The party is still headed by AKRoy, and it is active in the coal mining areas of Dhanbad. Roy, a three time MP, was one of the very active members in the Jharkhand movement and was the co-founder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. As the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha evolved into a political party, his relations within the party hierarchy soured and was eventually severed.

3. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha- It is one of the strongest parties in the 14th Lok Sabha. Four of their five MPs are from the state of Jharkhand. The President of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is Shibu Soren. In the year 2005, at the assembly elections of the state of Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ranked second and acquired 17 seats out of the total number of 81 seats. The party has attracted controversies. Its MPs were involved in the bribery scam during the tenure of the Narasimha Rao government at the centre. More recently, when India lost its match with Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, Dhoni's under construction house in his home town of Ranchi was ruined wantonly and damaged by the political activists of the vandalized Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Last Updated On: 2011/07/06