New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to build on Droupadi Murmu’s presidential candidature to reach out to tribal communities, which comprise a significant political constituency spread across the country, including in four poll-bound states.
In Gujarat, which will go to polls at the end of this year, about 15 per cent of the total population is tribal, according to the 2011 Census. Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, which go to polls in November-December 2023, just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, also have significant tribal populations, with a share of 30 per cent, 21.5 per cent, and 14 per cent respectively.
During the BJP’s national executive meeting in Hyderabad on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked party functionaries to hold meetings in all tribal villages across the country to drum up support for 64-year-old Murmu, the former Governor of Jharkhand and the NDA’s nominee for the 18 July presidential polls. With numbers stacked in favour of the BJP-led alliance, Murmu could soon be the first tribal President of India.
“By nominating Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi has highlighted that the BJP believes in inclusivity and empowering those who have been oppressed for years. During the executive meeting, PM Modi stressed that BJP functionaries should hold meetings across tribal villages and ask the residents to put pressure on their tribal MLAs to support Murmuji who represents the tribal society,” a senior BJP leader said.
BJP leaders have also been directed to reach out to tribal MLAs cutting across party lines and ask them to support a “tribal presidential candidate”. The leaders have further been told to hold “small rallies” after the presidential election is over.
“We are confident about Murmu ji’s win, and after she becomes the President, rallies will be organised in all villages, and they (organisers) have been asked to use the official photograph of the President which will be released after she is elected,” another leader added. The rallies will cover all villages and gram panchayats, party sources said.
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Tribal outreach
The four poll-bound states mentioned above have a total of 128 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) — 27 in Gujarat, 25 in Rajasthan, 29 in Chhattisgarh and 47 in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP managed to win only 35 of these seats in the previous Assembly elections.
The BJP is already gearing up for the state elections in Rajasthan next year and, through Murmu, it is eyeing around 70 seats that have a significant tribal population. Though 25 seats are reserved for the STs, the community’s influence is seen in around 70 seats. Tribal communities constitute around 14 per cent of Rajasthan’s population, according to the 2011 Census.
“That is why the five Rajasthan MLAs who were included as Murmu’s proposers were tribal. Through them, the BJP is hoping to reach out to the tribal vote-bank across these 70 seats,” a senior BJP leader said.
Another leader added: “In Sawai Madhopur, the BJP had organised a tribal convention. During the meeting, party president J.P. Naddaji held discussions with eminent people of the society along with the tribal legislators.”
In Rajasthan, 33 of 200 current MLAs are from tribal communities (apart from the 25 reserved seats, tribal MLAs hold eight additional seats). Of the 33 MLAs, nine are from the BJP while 17 MLAs belong to the Congress. “Keeping the arithmetic in mind, a better outreach and connection with the tribal society can benefit the BJP in the upcoming elections,” the leader added.
In Gujarat, while 27 of 182 seats are reserved for tribal candidates, they constitute around 15 per cent of the population and can play a decisive role in these seats and a few others. There is a sizeable tribal population in Banaskantha, Ambaji, Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhota Udaipur, and Narmada districts.
The tribal vote plays a key role in Madhya Pradesh too, as the community accounts for 21.5 per cent of the population. In fact, Madhya Pradesh has the highest tribal population in the country and has as many as 47 seats reserved for ST candidates. On these, the BJP did quite well in 2013, winning around two-thirds of the seats.
Droupadi Murmu hails from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. She started off as a teacher before entering state politics. She was elected as an MLA on a BJP ticket twice from Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj (2000 and 2009). In 2015, she was sworn-in as the first woman governor of Jharkhand. In the presidential polls, she is up against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also read: Droupadi Murmu: NDA presidential pick is ex-teacher, took BJP head on as Jharkhand governor