Till the year 2000, the politics of Jharkhand was centered on the creation of the state. On August 2, 2000, the bill to create a separate state of Jharkhand to be carved out of Bihar was passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote with two key allies of ruling NDA strongly opposing the measure and the opposition Rashtriya Janta Dal and the CPI-M demanding it to be referred to a parliamentary committee.
The state finally was born on November 15, 2000 with its capital as Ranchi. Jharkhand has gone through many crests and troughs in terms of political scenario and has seen several Chief Ministers which is a record of sorts. The reason for the political instability of Jharkhand is rooted to small parties and Independents wining on micro issues playing vital role in government formations. Less number of assembly seats has also affected political stability. Loss of credibility of political leaders is another reason behind the fractured mandate received in 2009. Lack of leadership, a large section of people being left out of economic development and national parties failing to address their requirements have been the causes for the fragile nature of politics in our state.
As the State heads for Assembly polls, all the major political parties of the state have their issues and agendas in place now. Let’s take a look at the various issues that can have an impact during the election in this politically fragile state. Corruption is another major issue in Jharkhand. The prevalent corruption in various departments of the state administration is hurting the common man. So, he is likely to exercise his franchise keeping in mind this issue.
Also the involvement of various state leaders, like JMM supremo Shibu Soren in corruption cases will have an impact on the voters. Jharkhand, analogous to Bihar is divided between have and have-nots. This divide has created the problem of Naxalism and counter-Naxalism. The two main groups of Naxalites, the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) and the Communist Party of India, Marxist-Leninist (People`s War) merged to form the united Communist Party of India, Maoist or CPI (Maoist) in September 2004. Jharkhand has failed to see development despite having 40 percent of India’s mines and minerals.
Growth in Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh – the other two states created the same year – has been much faster. ‘Successive governments have failed to focus on core sectors like road, electricityeducation and health,’ said Rabindra Singh, the Jharkhand Congress spokesperson. Maoist insurgency has spread from eight to 22 districts, there is not a single super speciality hospital in the state, and the literacy rate at 54 percent is far behind the national average of 65 percent.Around 54 percent of its people are poorThe state produces only half the foodgrains it consumes.
Officials say while the state had two Maoist groups in 2000, the number grew to six later. More than 1,600 people, including over 350 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist violence. Development works like road and railway projects have been badly hit by the Maoists. Jharkhand’s power production fell from 450 MW to 300 MW. The state miserably failed in the health sector. Doctors are hardly seen in primary health centres. There is a shortage of more than 1,000 doctors in government hospitals. Around percent of women suffrom anaemia, according to official statistics.
