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News18 has learnt Sarma is responsible for quelling a million rebellions in Jharkhand even before they could happen, often suggesting pre-emptive moves to central leadership.
Ever since Himanta Biswa Sarma has been tasked as the co-incharge of Jharkhand for the BJP, he has quietly been firefighting for the party in the poll-bound eastern state. (Image: PTI)
Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convener Himanta Biswa Sarma is often dubbed as the Chanakya of the North East. But ever since he has been tasked as the co-in-charge of Jharkhand for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he has quietly been firefighting for the party in the poll-bound eastern state.
News18 has learnt Sarma is responsible for quelling a million rebellions in the state even before they could happen, often suggesting pre-emptive moves to central leadership like making Ravindra Rai the working President of the Jharkhand BJP all of a sudden.
Even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the party manifesto on Sunday at Ranchi focusing on women, tribals and evoking an anti-infiltrator sentiment, it’s Sarma who has doused many in-house fires so far that resulted in a high octane aggressive Sunday.
RAVINDRA RAI
Sources say Rai wasn’t happy after the BJP fielded its state president Babulal Marandi from Dhankar seat. Rai, sources said, wanted to fight from the same seat. Rai was the BJP Chief of Jharkhand during the 2014 Jharkhand Assembly polls. Marandi’s candidature only rubbed salt on his wound.
Sarma, who had his ears to the ground, sensed the displeasure and sent an SOS to Delhi to “restore a sense of dignity” for Rai. Immediately, in spite of having a full-time state president, BJP appointed a Jharkhand working president in the shape of Ravindra Rai. The organisational change came amid speculation that Rai would join the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) as he was denied a ticket in the election. It worked. When asked about his displeasure, Rai said, “No, this is not the truth. I was never upset with the BJP, which has given me an identity.”
MENKA SARDAR
One of the biggest successes of Sarma was minimising the public embarrassment caused by three-term former MLA Menka Sardar. She resigned after failing to obtain a BJP ticket from the Potka area. Sarma was behind the endeavour to make her understand and rejoin the BJP in a short span of time.
KAMLESH RAM
Kamlesh Ram, too, rebelled against the BJP in Jharkhand when he filed candidature as independent from the Kanke assembly seat. The Assam Chief Minister reached his house as well and urged him to withdraw his nomination much like he did to Misir Kujur. Ram was overlooked in favour of former MLA Jitu Charan Ram. Along with Sarma, BJP’s state vice-president and SC Morcha president reached out to him as well after which he has decided not to fight as an independent.
MISIR KUJUR
If Rai’s disenchantment was palpable, Misir Kujur’s angst was more clearly articulated. The BJP leader filed his nomination as an independent from Gumla seat. But Himanta Biswa Sarma did not let ego come in the way and visited the leader on a weekend to convince him to withdraw nomination. However, he has refrained from withdrawing his nomination.
Polling for the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.
