After months of internal deliberation and political manoeuvring, the BJP has appointed Babulal Marandi as the Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, bringing much-needed clarity to the party’s leadership crisis. The decision, finalised on March 6 at the party headquarters in Ranchi, comes at a critical juncture as the BJP struggles to regain its foothold in the state following consecutive electoral setbacks. Central observers Bhupendra Yadav and K Laxman supervised the selection process, highlighting the leadership vacuum that has plagued the party since its defeats in the 2019 and 2024 Assembly elections. Marandi’s return to a key leadership position signals an attempt to reassert the party’s influence and realign its strategy in Jharkhand’s shifting political landscape.
The prolonged delay in electing a legislative party leader had created significant roadblocks, stalling appointments to crucial constitutional positions. Marandi’s elevation to this role is not merely a routine political appointment—it is an effort by the BJP to reclaim lost ground among Jharkhand’s Adivasi electorate, which has drifted towards the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) under Hemant Soren. His leadership brings with it the credibility of experience, a strong RSS background, and a deep connection with Adivasi issues, making him the most viable candidate to lead the party’s revival.
A long-delayed recognition
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This is not the first time Marandi has been named Leader of Opposition. Back in February 2020, soon after the BJP’s defeat in the 2019 Assembly elections, the party had selected him for the same position. However, a prolonged legal dispute over the merger of his former party, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM-P), with the BJP prevented him from officially assuming the post. The Jharkhand Assembly speaker, citing procedural irregularities, refused to recognise the merger, leading to a deadlock that left the Assembly without an opposition leader for nearly four years.
Faced with this impasse, the BJP eventually appointed Amar Kumar Bauri as Leader of Opposition in 2023, but this move did little to strengthen the party’s position. Many within the BJP believed that Marandi was the natural choice for the role, given his stature as a former chief minister and a prominent Adivasi leader. Now, with the legal hurdles resolved, his formal recognition as Leader of Opposition represents not only an overdue acknowledgment but also an attempt to correct past mistakes that alienated Adivasi voters from the party.
BJP’s crisis in Jharkhand and need for a reset
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The BJP is grappling with a political crisis in Jharkhand. Despite having governed the state multiple times since its formation in 2000, its influence has waned considerably, particularly among Adivasis. Its 2019 Assembly election loss to the JMM-led alliance was a wake-up call, but the situation worsened further in 2024, with the party’s performance in Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituencies hitting a new low.
The numbers paint a stark picture. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP lost all five ST-reserved seats in Jharkhand. In the 2024 Assembly elections, it won just one out of the 28 ST-reserved seats, exposing its deepening disconnect with tribal voters. A BJP worker in Ranchi, when discussing the party’s declining Adivasi support, quipped, “BJP ke saare bade Adivasi neta basi ho gaye hai” (All the big Adivasi leaders in the BJP have become politically stale).
This growing alienation of Adivasi voters can be traced back to 2014, when the BJP made Raghubar Das — the first non-tribal CM of Jharkhand. The appointment of Das, an OBC leader, signalled the rising influence of Hindu OBCs within the state BJP, sidelining tribal representation. Jharkhand’s Adivasi identity, rooted in decades of struggle for separate statehood, was overlooked.
Compounding this problem, in 2016, Das attempted to amend the Chota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act, 1908, and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act, 1876 — two laws that are deeply embedded in Adivasi identity and land rights. The proposed amendments, which aimed to facilitate the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals, triggered massive protests across the state. Adivasi organisations and leaders viewed the move as a direct assault on their historical struggle and constitutional protections, leading to widespread unrest.
The JMM, led by Soren, quickly seized upon this political opportunity, framing the BJP as an anti-Adivasi party and actively supporting tribal mobilisations against Das’s policies. When the JMM-led alliance won the 2019 Assembly elections, it capitalised on its Adivasi support base by introducing legislative measures that reinforced tribal identity and rights.
Among these measures were the Sarna Code Bill, which sought a separate religious category for Adivasis in the census, the 1932 Khatiyan-based domicile policy, and a reservation expansion bill for ST, SC, and OBC communities. While these bills have faced legal challenges, they have played a significant role in solidifying the JMM’s hold over Adivasi-Moolvasi voters, making it increasingly difficult for the BJP to reclaim its lost influence.
Why Marandi is BJP’s best bet
With Arjun Munda, the former Minister for Tribal Affairs, facing a political decline after his 2024 Lok Sabha defeat, and turncoat leaders like Champai Soren and Madhu Koda failing to command state-wide appeal, the BJP is struggling to find a strong Adivasi face. Amidst this vacuum, Marandi emerges as the only leader who fits the bill.
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His RSS background ensures ideological alignment with the party’s central leadership. His clean image and reputation for governance stand in stark contrast to the corruption allegations that have plagued some of his political rivals. Most crucially, he retains historical credibility among Adivasi voters — especially for championing the 1932 Khatiyan-based domicile policy in 2003, a move that cost him the chief ministership but remains a politically charged issue even today.
However, even with Marandi at the helm, the BJP’s path to reclaiming Jharkhand will not be easy. The narrative that the BJP is anti-Adivasi has found political traction in Jharkhand, and reversing it will require more than just a leadership change. The party will need to rebuild trust among Adivasi voters, craft a counter-narrative to JMM’s pro-Adivasi stance, and revitalise its grassroots organisation. With questions of domicile and tribal governance emerging as politically charged issues in Jharkhand, Marandi’s leadership as Leader of Opposition will face a crucial test.
The writer is a researcher working on Adivasi issues and an academic fellow at the National Law School of India University
