On Tuesday, in the manifesto for the Jharkhand assembly elections, the Congress pledged to fill all open state government positions within a year, increase the creamy layer cap for OBCs from the current ₹8 lakh annual income to ₹10 lakh, conduct a caste-based census, and increase the free power supply from the current 200 units to 250 units per month.
A day before the first round of voting for 43 of the state’s 81 assembly seats, Bandhu Tirkey, the head of the party manifesto committee, released the Congress manifesto. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), an ally, also released their electoral manifesto the day before.
“This is Jharkhand’s people’s voice, not a manifesto. We’ve worked for them, and we’ll keep working for them,” Tirkey told reporters following the manifesto’s release. To address the concerns of Jharkhand’s tribal people, the manifesto committee conducted chaupals in each district and engaged the populace. “We worked hard to make sure our manifesto was for the average person,” he continued. The application of the Sarna religious code for tribal people and the 1932 domicile policy based on Khatiyan (land records) were two of the manifesto’s seven main promises.
According to the manifesto, the impoverished will receive free power up to 250 units instead of the current 200 units. “In a year, we will fill all open government positions,” Tirkey declared, adding that the party would carry out a social audit of its platform every six months to make sure it was being carried out effectively.
Last week, the party and its partners in the INDIA bloc announced seven promises for Jharkhand, including expanding the reservation to tribals, Dalits, and OBCs; providing rice with an MSP of ₹3,200; and providing each citizen with a free 7 kg ration under the Food Security Act, among other things.
Although it was not included in the INDIA bloc’s assurances, the Congress platform included the promise of caste-based enumeration. In practically every rally he has attended, Congressman Rahul Gandhi has reaffirmed the need for a caste census. In its manifesto, the JMM, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has pledged to establish a distinct government agency dedicated to the welfare of OBCs, excluding the caste census.
The results will be revealed on November 23. Jharkhand will have two rounds of voting on November 13 and 20. The JMM is running for up to 43 seats, while the Congress is vying for 30 seats, according to the INDIA bloc seat sharing. The CPI-ML is running in four constituencies, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is running in six. The alliance partners are fighting among themselves in certain assembly sectors.
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