After the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari took oath as Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday( May 10, 2026), the saffron footprints covered Jharkhand from all its neighbouring states.

Led by the Mahagatbhandhan comprising Congress - RJD - JMM, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Jharkhand, a landlocked state in eastern India, shares its borders with five other states. 

It is bordered by Bihar to the north, West Bengal to the east, Odisha to the south, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Uttar Pradesh to the northwest. All these states were ruled by the BJP, posing a major saffron challenge to the CM Hemant Soren in a small patch of Jharkhand in eastern India today.

Though elections to this state are due in 2028, the BJP finds itself in a new state of josh( excitement), emboldened by results in neighbouring Bihar first and then in West Bengal on Friday( May 8).

In the 2024 Assembly polls, the BJP lost to the JMM and allies led by CM Soren, whose party became the single -largest party in vote share at 33 percent. The JMM and the Congress got around 39 percent of the votes polled. The BJP and its allies’ defeat was primarily attributed to the split in votes of the Kurmi-Mahato community, who traditionally supported the BJP or its ally AJSU. 

But due to the Independent, Jai Ram Mahato who made a debut in politics by launching a movement demanding tribal status to Kurmi Mahato, who already enjoyed OBC status. 

Next, he contested the polls, put up candidates, and secured votes in five digits in over 22 constituencies. Result?  Mahato won, became an Independent MLA, and thereby split the BJP’s votes. As a result, BJP and its ally AJSU suffered the loss of seats in equal number of 22 seats.

Alongside, the JMM managed to build up a strong base of support among Adivasi( including Christian) and Muslim communities. This AM composition proved to be unbeatable by the non- Adivasi communities.

Prior to the BJP’s victory in Bihar and West Bengal, the party high command reset the organisation early this year, 2026, by appointing Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu as the party’s Jharkhand president after the end of ex-CM Babulal Marandi’s term. Sahu has built up its team by appointing Amar Kumar Bauri as General Secretary. They know that they can do little against the formidable ruling composition of the AM of the JMM.

This has been working at the grass root - booth level- to target the JMM- Congress over law and order, crimes against women, corruption, treasury scam, and ‘mis governance.’

There is a growing anger on the ground, particularly among women and youth. The BJP was learnt to be mobilising its workers and supporters door to door and planning protests on issues like water and electricity.

The BJP has 21 MLAs in the 81-member assembly. The party serves as the primary opposition in the state, with its alliance (NDA) holding a total of 24 seats. The JMM and its allies hold a commanding majority with 56 seats in the 81-member Assembly. 

And the CM Soren seems to be leading the government without any threat to his government at this moment as the Kurmi- Mahato community remains vocal about their demand seeking ST status to the community.