“Only [Bharatiya] Janata Party volunteers have come here and spoken to us, so we will vote for them,” said Sheila Devi, a resident of Jorpunda village in Simdega district of Jharkhand. Located near the Odisha-Jharkhand state border, more than 170 km from the capital city Ranchi, Jorpunda is an agricultural village largely inhabited by tribals.

Upon TNM’s arrival at the village, it was dotted with numerous saffron Bajrang Dal flags, bearing the image of the Hindu deity Hanuman. This is despite the fact that most residents here practise Sarna, an indigenous religion that worships nature. Women were seen carrying BJP pamphlets, while children played with masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jorpunda residents are not traditional BJP supporters. However, over the years, they have come to view the BJP as the only accessible political party. The incumbent Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress have allegedly made little effort to reach out to them.

TNM travelled to Jorpunda from Kolebira town through winding, unfinished roads flanked on either side by vast, uninhabited land and dense forests. Along the way, a few narrow, muddy roads led to small villages of 20 to 50 houses each. Jorpunda is unassuming, with  all roads made of mud and most residents living in huts.

Mary Topo was husking paddy outside her hut when TNM met her on November 10. When asked about the saffron flags across the village, the 68-year-old said, “Initially, we didn’t have any flags here. Later, the BJP brought the saffron Hanuman flags. For a while, they even used the red-and-white striped Sarna flags along with the saffron flags. Now, only the saffron ones remain.”

Mary, who said she has a tumour in her throat, expressed frustration over not receiving old age pensions. “I need to get the tumour removed, but I have no money,” she said.

At the time of our conversation, Mary was still undecided about who to vote for. However, many of her neighbours told us they would vote for the BJP, as it was the only party that had reached out to them.

The 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections are currently underway, with the first phase of polling conducted on November 13, and the second to be held on November 20. 

JMM’s laxity, BJP’s consistence

As the election season progresses, Jharkhand’s Adivasi villages stand divided, their decisions reflecting both the need for cultural preservation and for livelihood support.

Even as calls for a distinct Sarna Religious Code have gained momentum, the BJP’s consistent outreach has reshaped political allegiances in Jharkhand’s villages. The saffron party’s campaign strategy in the villages include speaking about the BJP-led Union government schemes, election promises, and the distribution of flags and pamphlets.

Rajesh Munda, an activist working with tribal communities, said that the saffron flags seen across villages are not just a reflection of the RSS’ Hindutva project. “Neglect from the JMM has made it easier for the BJP to penetrate Adivasi communities,” he said.

Jorpunda resident Sheila spoke to TNM about the campaign efforts of JMM. “They asked the women to attend the public meeting addressed by Kalpana ji (Kalpana Murmu, wife of Chief Minister Hemanth Soren), through the government-run Jharkhand Livelihood Promotion Society. They offered to provide a vehicle to reach the meeting and encouraged us to go along. No one else has come to our villages.” Sheila added that the JMM workers did not come to the village even to invite them to the meeting, but informed them of it at a location distant from Jorpunda. The women residents did not attend the JMM meeting.

Dissatisfaction with the work of incumbent JMM representatives was also voiced by the voters. In Latehar constituency, a Scheduled Caste reserved seat, sitting JMM MLA Baidyanath Ram faces strong anti-incumbency sentiments.

A Catholic priest from Chandwa village in the constituency said, “There is a lot of dissatisfaction with the sitting MLA; he hasn’t visited any of the villages in the constituency since he was elected. Despite our objections, he was selected as the candidate this time too. On the other hand, the BJP candidatewho lost last time, Prakash Ram, has been actively present in the constituency, engaging with rural communities.”

Beynath Ram, a resident of the constituency, agreed. “Prakash Ram and his workers have been consistently present in the constituency, reaching out to all villages over the last five years, while the MLA has been absent. The BJP candidate has planned his campaign well,” he said.

Efforts to equate Sarna and Hinduism

The saffron flags are not a sight restricted to Jorpunda, but can be seen in several villages.

The activist Rajesh explained how they pervaded rural Jharkhand. “The non-Christian Adivasis of the Chota Nagpur region are Sarna believers. As part of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Hindutva agenda, these flags were distributed to the Adivasis. After some time, a Sarna uprising led many to replace the saffron flags with Sarna flags. Some villages now display both.”

RSS leader Ashok Bhagat claimed that Sarna is part of Hinduism, and not a separate religion. According to him, the ‘Sarna label’ was created to meet the Adivasis desire for a distinct identity. “It’s all the same, Hinduism and Sarna. In different places, Adivasis may use different names for their faith,” he told TNM.

This claim was echoed by Ranjana Kumari, vice president of Vikas Bharathi, an organisation established by Ashok Bhagat. “Sarna is a place of worship, and they worship Shiva, Hanuman, and other Hindu gods. This whole Sarna-Hindu divide was a creation of Christian missionaries to aid conversions. Sarna beliefs are part of Sanatana Dharma,” she argued.

RSS foot soldiers are travelling across Jharkhand’s tribal villages to popularise this claim. Kripa Prasad Singh, who leads the Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, an RSS organisation focused on tribal outreach in Lohardaga district, told TNM that their workers and volunteers tell villagers that there is no real difference between Sarna and Hindu beliefs. “We’ve been teaching [Adivasis] that we all belong to Sanatana Dharma,” he said.

Will the call for Sarna Code affect BJP votes?

The push for a separate Sarna Religious Code is strong among Sarna practitioners, who insist that their beliefs are not part of Hinduism. In November 2020, the JMM government, in a special one-day Assembly session, passed a resolution to include ‘Sarna’ as a separate religion in the 2021 census. The BJP has consistently opposed the demand for the code.

In the villages, voting preferences often differ. “My vote is for JMM as both my father and my grandfather were JMM workers. But my friends in the village have said that they will vote for the BJP,” said Pramila Devi, a Sarna resident of Pabura village in Torpa constituency of Simdega district.

Pramila’s neighbour Sunita said, “In this village, there’s not a single household where at least two people haven’t migrated out of state for work. If we want to survive, we have to migrate, or else we starve. In the last five years of JMM rule, there has been no change in our lives.” She added that no one from JMM had come to Pabura seeking votes. “Only BJP workers came to ask for our votes. They reach out to us, even if it is only during elections,” she said.

A Sarna practitioner, Sunita believes the BJP’s stand that Sarna and Hinduism are the same. “At least the BJP tries to protect our religious faith, so I choose to vote for them.”