Where there was tribal population earlier, Muslim population increased rapidly there, how much has the demography of Jharkhand changed?

The first phase of elections has been completed in Jharkhand. The second phase of voting will be held on November 20. Meanwhile, BJP has intensified its attack on the Soren government over illegal infiltration and changing demography in Santhal. BJP alleges that Bangladeshi infiltrators have changed the entire demography of Santhal Pargana, a tribal area of ​​Jharkhand. However, state CM Hemant Soren and Congress have termed these allegations of BJP as baseless.

Shocking revelations have been made in the affidavit filed by the Centre in the hearing of Jharkhand High Court on 12th September. According to the Central Government, there has been a large scale infiltration of Bangladeshis in six districts of Santhal Pargana. According to the affidavit filed by the Central Government in the High Court, there has been a large scale infiltration of Bangladeshis in the tribal areas and the two districts Sahibganj and Pakur are the two most targeted by the infiltrators. Due to this, the number of madrasas has also increased significantly in these districts in the last few years.

Demography changed in Sahibganj and Pakur

According to the central government, the population of Sahibganj in 1961 was 4 lakh 14 thousand. Among them, the Muslim population was 82 thousand, which was about 20 percent of the total population. In 2011, the total population of Sahibganj alone became 11.5 lakh. In this, the Muslim population reached almost 4 lakh. Which is 35 percent of the total population. This means that in just 50 years, the population of Muslims increased by 15 percent in terms of percentage. Which was just 20 percent in 1961, became 35 percent in 2011. In 1961, the population of Pakur district was about 35 lakh. In this, there were 76000 Muslims, but in 2011, the Muslim population increased from 22 percent to 36 percent, that is, 3 lakh 22 thousand. Here, there has been an increase of 14 percent in 50 years.

According to the report of the central government, in 1951, the Hindu population in Santhal Pargana was 90% of the total population, which means if 100 people live in an area, 90 of them were Hindus. In this too, tribals were 45%, Muslims 9% and Christian population was less than 1% but in 2011, the Hindu population reached 68%, tribals 28% and Muslims 23% and Christians 4%. In this way, between 1951 and 2011, the number of Hindus in Santhal Pargana area has decreased by 22 percent while tribals decreased by 17 percent and Muslim population increased by 14 percent. Not only this, Christians also increased by about 4 percent.

The changing arithmetic of the population of Santhal Pargana is giving serious indications, seeing this no one can deny that the Hindu tribals are decreasing rapidly here and people of other religions are increasing. Illegal Bangladeshis are not just working on the strategy of make a bride and become a son-in-law, they make long term investments to change the demography. They get everything from voter ID card to their Aadhar card made. In Sahibganj district, the administration had removed the names of more than 7900 Bangladeshi intruders from the voter list. In such blocks, the demography has changed by 200 times to 300 times.

Which districts are included?

The Bangladesh border is at a distance of 50 km to 200 km from Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur, Dumka, Deoghar and Jamtara. It takes only two to three hours for them to enter these areas from Bangladesh. Being a border state, there is not much difference in the way people speak and dress. Because of this, these people settle down very easily in these areas. Although the case of Bangladeshi infiltration is going on in the High Court only in the Santhal Pargana area, but the Prime Minister also mentioned the Kolhan area in the Jamshedpur rally. Kolhan includes Sarai Kela, Kharsawan, West Singhbhu and East Singhbhu districts. Tribal votes are most important in the Santhal Pargana and Kolhan belt.

Political mathematics of Kolhan-Santhal

In such a situation, it is also important to see the arithmetic of assembly seats in these areas. There are three Lok Sabha and 18 assembly seats in the six districts of Santhal Pargana. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP got two and JMM got one seat in Dumka, Godda and Rajmahal seats, but in 2024 there was a big upset and out of these, BJP got only one seat i.e. Godda and JMM was able to capture the seat of Dumka Rajmahal. In the 2019 assembly elections, out of the 18 seats in Santhal Pargana, JMM won nine seats including all seven ST reserved seats, while its ally Congress won five seats, while BJP got four seats.

Kolhan has two Lok Sabha and 14 assembly seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress won the Singhbhum seat of these areas and BJP won in Jamshedpur. Despite Singhbhum Congress MP Geeta Koda joining BJP in 2024, she had to face defeat and this seat went to JMM's account. This time also BJP won the Jamshedpur seat. If we talk about the 2019 assembly elections, then BJP lost all the 14 assembly seats in Kolhan. Of these seats, JMM won 11 seats, Congress won two and an independent won one seat.

Why is the issue of infiltration being raised?

The tribal vote bank in Jharkhand is the biggest factor for victory. This vote bank has always stood with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, but this time, in order to make a dent in this vote bank, the BJP has handed over the command of the party in the state to tribal leader Babulal Marandi for its comeback in the assembly elections and has included Kolhan's biggest leader and Kolhan Tiger Champai Soren in the BJP. During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP also included the Soren family's elder daughter-in-law Sita Soren and former CM Madhu Koda's wife Geeta Koda. The BJP also gave tickets to both of them in the Lok Sabha elections but both could not win.

In the assembly elections, BJP is again trying to get the tribals on its side so that the saffron flag can once again be hoisted in power in Jharkhand. This is the reason why the party has started raising the issue of Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration in tribal areas like Santhal Pargana and Kolhan in the election environment.