Jharkhand Gets LoP After Four Years As BJP Chooses Amar Bauri, Aims To Consolidate Dalit Votes

The upcoming session of the Jharkhand assembly is poised to witness the presence of an opposition leader after a four-year hiatus, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has designated former minister Amar Bauri as its new legislature party leader, Hindustan Times reported.

A two-term legislator from Chandankiyari, Bauri is set to replace Babulal Marandi, who, pending an order from the Speaker's tribunal, has not been accorded the status of Leader of Opposition (LoP) due to a disqualification petition under the 10th schedule.

For 11 sessions of the fifth state assembly since December 2019, the assembly has functioned without an LoP. In addition to appointing Bauri as the legislature party leader, the party has also designated JP Patel as the party whip in the assembly.

These decisions were approved by the central leadership on Sunday (15 October) night, according to party leaders. The appointment follows Marandi's elevation as the state unit president.

The names have been approved based on a report submitted to the central leadership by Union Minister Ashwani Chowbey. In July, Chowbey had met with the legislators to gather their feedback on the appointment of a new legislature party leader.

Bauri received the majority of support from the MLAs, stated a senior BJP leader. The state BJP president will soon recommend Bauri's name to the Speaker.

While the Speaker's comments on the development could not be obtained, leaders of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) took a dig at the BJP's decision, asserting that the BJP had intentionally delayed recommending a new name for the past four years.

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said, "And now that they have come up with new names after delay, they have chosen to appoint leaders in key positions who have come from other parties. We are sympathetic towards their other senior leaders."

Notably, Bauri had joined BJP in 2015 with five other MLAs of Jharkhand Vikas Morch (Prajatantrik) when Raghubar Das was the Chief Minister.

With the selection of Bauri, the state president of BJP's Scheduled Caste wing, as its legislature party leader, the party aims to solidify its base in the social combination of Adivasi-Dalits-OBCs, according to party insiders.

The appointment of an LoP is expected to pave the way for crucial appointments, including those in the information commission and Lokayukta.