Why BJP has pitted Gamliyel Hembrom, who lost deposit in 2019, against Hemant Soren again
New Delhi: To take on Jharkhand heavyweight Hemant Soren in Barhait, an assembly constituency that is the stronghold of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded popular football enthusiast Gamliyel Hembrom—a former teacher who is said to have left Christianity to become a tribal.
Hembrom, known in Barhait for social service and organising football tournaments, has clearly not been picked for his winning prowess—he lost his security deposit in 2019 when he had squared off with Soren on an AJSU (All Jharkhand Students Union) ticket.
The BJP’s selection of a Christian-turned-tribal to contest against the CM is instead rather symbolic, as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliates have long been running a campaign in Jharkhand against “decli...