Unlike other politicians, he prefers wearing jeans and T-shirt, large crowds gather to listen to him, gives speeches while standing on the bonnet of the car and his fans call him ‘Tiger’.
Jairam Mahto, popularly known as Jairam Tiger Mahto, is a young dynamic leader contesting the Assembly election in Jharkhand and his candidature has made the mainstream political parties to sit up and notice him.
Mr. Mahto has carved out an identity in the region by raising local issues, particularly the demand to implement the 1932 Khatiyan (land settlement) Policy that deals with the ‘Jharkhandi identity’ and land records of 1932 would be the criteria to verify the State’s domicile and employment policy.
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He first came into the limelight in 2022 for launching a movement in the State after languages considered to be from outside Jharkhand like Bhojpuri, Magahi and Angika were included in the list of regional languages for State-level examinations in 11 districts of the State. He led the protests with the demand that only the local language should be promoted and people of Jharkhand should get the jobs in Jharkhand, and no one from the other State should be allowed.
Ahead of the Assembly election, he got the go-ahead by the Election Commission and his political party Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) was registered. Earlier, he used to lead an outfit called Jharkhandi Bhasha Khatiyan Sangharsh Samiti (JBKSS).
He is contesting the election from two Assembly seats, Dumri and Bermo. In Dumri, the main fight is between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s Baby Devi and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) leader Yashoda Devi whereas in Bermo, the contest is between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Ravindra Pandey and Congress candidate Kumar Jai Mangal.
“He is the real tiger of Jharkhand who fights for youth, local issues and jobs. After a long time, Jharkhand has got a dynamic young leader who has the calibre to lead the State,” said Vivek Mahto, one of his supporters in Pipradih village of Dumri, said.
The 30-year-old youth leader had earlier contested his maiden election and fielded eight candidates in the Lok Sabha election held this summer and had secured more than 8.2 lakh votes. On his own, Mr. Mahto had contested as an Independent from Giridih Lok Sabha seat and secured an impressive 3.5 lakh votes.
In Dumri, the voters said that Mr. Mahto is giving a tough fight to other candidates and no kind of sympathy vote will work this time.
“The sitting MLA Baby Devi got the chance to contest the election after her husband Jagarnath Mahto passed away and a bypoll was necessitated in August. That time, she won due to sympathy vote but now things have changed,” Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Bhelwadih village, said.
He hails from Kurmi (Mahtos) community, which comprises 22% of the total population, the largest chunk after tribals and plays a decisive role in at least 35 seats out of total 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand. He is an aggressive speaker as well as a good orator.
“I don’t know what my future is but I can say with responsibility that I am fighting for the future of Jharkhand in which your support is necessary. So, support me in this election to save Jharkhand for the future of your children,” Mr. Mahto said while addressing a public meeting in Dumri.
In another meeting, he said: “Now, it’s time to update the leader, choose a leader who works at the speed of 5G. I am always ready and dedicated for the rights of the youth and will always remain so. I am your son, I am your brother and my victory will not only be mine, it will be the victory of poor labourers and common people like me. My only motive is to give a better direction to the future of Jharkhand and for that I need the support of the people of Dumri.”
JLKM has fielded 76 candidates this election. However, two party candidates Aqeel Akhtar alias Rizwan Krantikari (Gandey seat) and Sonu Yadav (Garhwa seat) joined the ruling JMM.
Political experts pointed out that it was a strategic move by the INDIA bloc to tone down the impact of Mr. Mahto, who has the capability to influence the Kurmi vote bank.
Dumri seat falls under Giridih parliamentary seat in which he had got 97,000 votes in the Lok Sabha election.
Asked about contesting on two Assembly seats, Sushil Mandal, Central spokesperson of JLKM, told The Hindu: ”It was a demand of the central committee. We are fighting for the identity of Jharkhand and development is our only agenda. Jairamji is the only hope for the bright future of Jharkhand.”
Published - November 13, 2024 10:26 pm IST
