JMM launches aggressive campaign in Assam as leaders camp in Dibrugarh
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha intensifies its Assam push with senior leaders on the ground, targeting Adivasi voters and aiming for a breakthrough beyond its base.
Jharkhand Cabinet ministers meeting booth-level JMM workers at Muliabari, Digboi
Dibrugarh, March 29: In a high-voltage political push that underscores its national ambitions, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has unleashed its top brass in Assam, turning the State into a crucial battleground in its bid to break out of its Jharkhand stronghold.
With senior ministers camping on the ground and a war-room style campaign unfolding, the party appears determined to give a big fight.
At the forefront of this aggressive campaign is Jharkhand Cabinet Minister Chamra Linda, handpicked as the party’s election in-charge for Assam. Linda has virtually made Assam his second home over the past several weeks, maintaining a relentless campaign tempo since February.
Joining him is Revenue, Registration & Land Reforms Minister Deepak Birua, as the duo along with a tightly coordinated team of MLAs has been stationed in the city here for the remaining days of election, signalling an all-out electoral contest.
As shared with The Assam Tribune, from booth-level fine-tuning to cadre empowerment, the JMM leadership has rolled out an intensive constituency by constituency engagement plan.
The campaign kicked off with back-to-back strategy sessions at Karma Bhawan in Rajgarh under Tingkhong LAC yesterday afternoon, followed by another crucial meeting in a hotel in Hatiali under Chabua-Lahowal in the evening.
The tempo only intensified today, with high-stakes meetings in Digboi while Margherita, Duliajan and Naharkatia are next in line for a full-scale cadre mobilisation drive.
“This is not just an election to win but a fight to assert rights of the deprived communities. We intend to give them a voice, empower them and ensure they are not neglected,” asserted Linda, underlining the party’s laser focus on booth-level machinery, voter connect and hyper-local strategy.
The sessions, he revealed, are designed to transform first-time candidates into formidable contenders by equipping them with sharp political instincts and grassroots outreach tools.
Echoing this confidence, Birua spoke in a strong and assertive tone, expressing hope for a breakthrough performance.
“We are contesting 18 seats (three out of 21 nominations were rejected during scrutiny) and we are expecting to win at least five. People have already experienced both BJP and Congress governments, and now they are looking for change. They have realised that they have been treated as mere vote banks for far too long,” he told The Assam Tribune, presenting JMM as a voice for the marginalised.
Adding further weight to the campaign is Deben Urang, general secretary of the All Adivasi Students’ Association (AASAA), Rejan Horo faction. His presence is being seen as a strategic masterstroke, aimed at galvanising Adivasi voters, a decisive voter bloc in several constituencies in Upper Assam.
All eyes are now on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is expected to arrive in Upper Assam tomorrow, injecting further momentum into what is fast becoming a high-decibel campaign.
Interestingly, while Soren leads the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance under the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand, in Assam the party has chosen to go it alone in pursuit of independent growth.
This sets the stage for a fascinating political face-off, especially as Jharkhand’s senior Congress figures – father-daughter duo like Bandhu Tirkey and Jharkhand’s Cabinet Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey – are likely to campaign for Congress candidates, targeting largely overlapping voter bases.