The Jharkhand Party participated in the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections of 1952, 1957, and 1962. For more than 15 years, the Jharkhand Party was the only major opposition political party against the Indian National Congress in Bihar. In 1955, the Jharkhand Party submitted a memorandum for the creation of a separate state of Jharkhand to the States Reorganization Commission, but the state was not created for linguistic and economic reasons.[1][2]
History
Formation
The sociopolitical movement that emerged in the early 19th century to address tribal issues in the lower Chotanagpur region gave rise to several tribal rights organizations, predominantly led by educated Christian tribals. One of the earliest was the Chotanagpur Unnati Samaj, founded in 1915 by Rev. Joel Lakra with help of Theble Oraon, Bandi Oraon and Paul Dayal, aimed at promoting education and social reform.[3] Reflecting growing political awareness among tribals, the organization opposed the Simon Commission during its visit to Patna in 1928. Around the same time, the Chotanagpur Catholic Sabha was formed under the leadership of Boniface Lakra and Ignes Beck (1928–1929), while non-convert Munda tribals established the Munda Sabha in 1929, although it failed to garner broad support. In 1931, a group of non-Christian traditionalists broke away from the Unnati Samaj and founded the Chotanagpur Kisan Sabha, with Laurentius Barla as president and Theble Oraon as secretary, focusing on agrarian and cultural concerns in the Oraon belts. Similarly, in 1932–34, some traditionalist tribals also began articulating a distinct "Sarna" ethno-religious identity, which crystallized in the Sarna Sabha.[4] However, in 1937 Bihar Provincial Assembly elections, only the Catholic Sabha managed limited success, winning two out of thirty-eight seats from Chotanagpur, while other tribal groups failed to gain representation. This electoral setback revealed the fragmented nature of tribal politics and prompted calls for unity, resulting in the merger of the three organizations into the Adivasi Mahasabha in May 1938, with Theodore Surin as president and Paul Dayal as secretary. The Mahasabha began advocating the idea of a Jharkhand state in the Bihar Legislative Assembly in June 1938. At the Mahasabha's second annual session in Ranchi in January 1939, Jaipal Singh Munda was elected president, marking a significant shift in leadership. Following his election, the Mahasabha secured notable victories in the 1939 District Board elections, winning twenty out of twenty-five seats in Singhbhum and sixteen in Ranchi. To support its political agenda and mobilization efforts beyond Ranchi and Singhbhum, the Mahasabha began publishing materials such as "Adivasi" and "Adivasi Sakam".
However, dissatisfaction with Christian influence in the Mahasabha led to a split in July 1939, when Theble Oraon founded the Sanatan Adivasi Mahasabha to represent traditionalist, non-Christian tribals aligned with the nationalist movement. At the Ramgarh session of Congress in 1940, Munda discussed with Subash Chandra Bose regarding Jharkhand state. Amid rejection of Jharkhand statehood demand from influential political leaders and growing internal disagreements, the Mahasabha's performance declined in the 1946 Bihar Assembly elections, securing only three seats, with Jaipal Singh defeated by Congress candidate Dr. P. C. Mitra. During this period, Jaipal Singh became a member of the tribal subcommittee for the drafting of the Constitution of India in the Constituent Assembly. In 1947, internal debates emerged within the Mahasabha regarding the inclusion of non-tribal populations, since tribals accounted less than half of the Chotanagpur population, although no consensus was reached. Eventually, at its session held in Ranchi on 5 March 1949, the Mahasabha was reorganized as the Jharkhand Party, with Jaipal Singh as president and Julius Tigga as secretary. Following India's independence on 15 August 1947 and the adoption of the Constitution on 26 November 1949, which provided reserved political representation in tribal-concentrated regions, the Jharkhand Party was formally launched to the public on 1 January 1950 in Jamshedpur, shifting from a tribal-centric organization to a broader regional movement advocating for a separate Jharkhand state.[5][6][7]
The Jharkhand Party participated in the 1952 election and won 34 seats in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and become the main opposition party.[1] In 1955, the Jharkhand Party submitted a memorandum for creation of separate state to States Reorganization Commission, but the demand was not accepted because the region had many languages and tribal were in the minority.[8] In 1957 and 1962 Legislative Assembly election, the winning candidates of the party reduced to 31 and 20 in subsequent elections.
Jaipal Singh was disappointed by the declining popularity of his party and rejection of its demand for a separate Jharkhand.[9] In 1963 the Jharkhand Party merged with Indian National Congress.[1] The merger was quite unpopular within the party ranks, and a number of splinter groups were formed, including the All India Jharkhand Party, the Hul Jharkhand Party, and Veer Birsa Dal.
In 1967, N.E. Horo became an MLA of the Jharkhand Party from Kolibera by election.
In 1971, the Jharkhand Party was reorganized by Bagun Sumrai, who was elected president. Horo became general secretary of the party.
On 12 March 1971, the Jharkhand Party arranged the Jharkhand-Mang diwas agitations in front of the parliament.
In 1975, N.E. Horo was elected president of the party and Noren Hansda was elected general secretary.
In 1990, N.E. Horo was elected president, working president Lal Ranvijay Nath Sahdeo, Ashok Bhagat General Secretary in byniel conference.
2005 Anosh ekka elected kolebira vidhansabha election and becoming the cabinet minister and also rural development and transport minister of Jharkhand State, Anosh Ekka elected president and Ashok Bhagat Principal general secretary in general conference.
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