BJP's decision to choose non-tribal CM goes awry

 The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress-RJD alliance seems to have got good support of the tribal voters in the state as the poll results suggest that the BJP's experiment with a non-tribal chief minister has fallen flat.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has influence over 26 per cent of tribal votes and minorities of the state.

In 2014, the BJP chose Raghubar Das as a non-tribal chief minister. It was for the first time in the history of the state that a non-tribal was chosen for the top job. It's a pattern the BJP established in Maharashtra and Haryana after winning state elections in 2014. The party picked Devendra Fadnavis, a Brahmin, in Maharashtra, ignoring the dominant Marathas, and a non-Jat Manohar Lal Khattar in Haryana.

Das' appointment, sources said, sent out a message that the BJP does not care about state's tribals, and is challenging their supremacy.

However, in a belated action, BJP did appoint Arjun Munda as a cabinet minister, but the damage was already done.

On the other hand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is believed to have its base among tribals and minorities, and as the results suggest, has emerged as a favourite among the voters in the 81-member assembly.IANS