Hemant Soren Campaigns in Digboi, Targets BJP Over Tea Garden Worker Wages

DIGBOI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren brought his political weight to bear on the Digboi assembly constituency on Wednesday, addressing a high-voltage rally at Bogapani Tea Garden in support of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Bharat Nayak.

The gathering drew a large crowd of Adivasi tea garden workers, student organisations, and local voters — and sent a clear signal that the tea garden vote, long seen as a BJP stronghold, may be in play this election.

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Soren did not mince words in his attack on both the Central government and the BJP-led Assam administration, accusing them of systematically neglecting the tea garden communities that form the backbone of constituencies like Digboi.

He zeroed in on the Rs 250 daily wage received by tea garden workers, calling it "one of the most unfortunate aspects" of the current regime.

"In today's market scenario, even good quality salt cannot be purchased for Rs 250," he said, drawing a sharp contrast between official wage levels and the actual cost of living faced by workers on the ground.

Soren flatly rejected the BJP's argument that initiatives such as land pattas have improved conditions for tea garden communities.

"Mere eyewash," he said, asserting that these measures have failed to deliver meaningful or lasting change in the daily lives of workers.

He promised that a JMM-backed victory in Digboi would prioritise wage enhancement along with targeted improvements in healthcare, education, and basic amenities for tea garden communities.

JMM candidate Bharat Nayak, a former Zilla Parishad constituency contestant, struck a confident note at the rally, saying he was fully aware of the electoral strategy of sitting BJP MLA Surendra Phukan.

"I will neutralise the BJP's polling equation and emerge victorious by a decisive margin," Nayak claimed.

Political observers are reading Soren's entry into the Digboi campaign as a deliberate effort to consolidate the Adivasi tea garden vote at a critical moment.

Early indications on the ground suggest a perceptible shift in sentiment within this community — traditionally one of the BJP's more reliable electoral blocs in the constituency. The development is being watched closely by both camps.

Adding further pressure on the BJP, a majority of Adivasi student organisations and their affiliated bodies have come out in support of the JMM candidate, pointing to a broader grassroots realignment that goes beyond just the rally effect.

If the emerging shift among tea garden workers and Adivasi youth consolidates before polling day, it could significantly alter the electoral arithmetic in the 84 Digboi Assembly Constituency.

For the BJP, which has relied on this community's support in past elections, the situation represents one of the more serious challenges it faces in Upper Assam this cycle.