BJP loses in Jharkhand despite using ‘Bangladeshi infiltration’ ploy
International Desk
India’s ruling BJP has lost in the Jharkhand state assembly elections, results showed Saturday, as voters apparently rejected the Hindu nationalist party’s repeated claims of insecurity prevailing among the populace due to major “Bangladeshi infiltrations.”
The party, however, retained its control in the Maharashtra with its best-ever performance in the state assembly elections.
Since the fall of the pro-Indian Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka on 5 August, BJP leaders have been repeating unfounded allegations that undocumented Bangladeshi migrants were crossing border to alter the Jharkhand state demography in favour of Muslims.
The incumbent government were supporting the illegal migrations to profit from the scheme, the leaders including India home minister Amit Shah had alleged.
The claims appeared to be an election strategy to win over votes.
However, upending BJP’s hopes, the state’s ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha came out victorious with massive gains, and ensured the secularist Congress-led INDIA bloc retains its hold on the state bordering Bangladesh.
In Maharashtra, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won state assembly elections against the INDIA bloc as the saffron party logged its best-ever electoral performance in the state.
Source: Hindustan Times, The Hindu
