Kalpana Soren’s Campaign Strategies Outshine BJP Women’s Wing in Jharkhand Assembly Elections

State Bureau, Ranchi: In the assembly elections, the Maa-Maiya Samman Yojana and Kalpana Soren’s campaigning turned out to be game changers for the JMM alliance. Just two months before the elections, the state government transferred ₹1,000 to the bank accounts of women. After Hemant Soren’s imprisonment, Kalpana Soren emerged as a new leader for JMM. Meanwhile, most leaders of the BJP’s women’s wing remained preoccupied with table politics.

Kalpana Soren’s Five Strategies That Troubled the BJP

1. She linked Hemant Soren’s arrest to the exploitation of tribals.
2. Turned it into an issue of tribal pride and self-respect.
3. Played the emotional card and conducted a powerful election campaign.
4. Highlighted issues of tribal women, which resonated strongly.
5. Focused on showcasing government schemes effectively.

BJP Women’s Wing’s Mistakes

The BJP has an organized women’s wing with around 15 state office bearers and about 100 working committee members.
However, during the assembly elections, the key leaders of the wing were mostly seen in the state office with diaries and phones in hand rather than being active on the ground.

• Gogo Didi Scheme Mismanagement:
  BJP promised ₹2,100 per month to women under the Gogo Didi Yojana and even collected application forms for it. However, the women’s wing remained largely inactive in promoting the scheme.

  One active leader revealed that ₹1 lakh was allocated for the promotion of the scheme in each assembly constituency, totaling ₹81 lakh. However, only three office bearers seemed aware of where this money was spent.

• Disconnect from Ground Work:
  Despite the lack of coordination, some workers from the women’s wing campaigned in different constituencies. However, a grassroots worker expressed frustration, stating that senior leaders were more focused on receiving gifts like Kanjeevaram and silk sarees than working on the ground.
• Failure at Booth Level:
  Many top leaders, including the state president, general secretary, and vice presidents of the women’s wing, reside in Ranchi. However, most of them failed to secure an advantage for the BJP even in their own booths.

  After taking their posts, many women leaders prioritized uploading selfies and photos on social media over meaningful ground-level work. In contrast, JMM had leaders like Kalpana Soren as a star campaigner and grassroots leaders such as Mahua Maji and Joba Majhi, which gave them an edge.