Ghatshila By-Election Campaign List: The Curious Absence Of Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP's Key Strategist
This omission looks striking, especially considering that Sarma played a pivotal role as co-in-charge in the party’s last Jharkhand Assembly election campaign.
Published : October 13, 2025 at 9:57 PM IST
|Updated : October 13, 2025 at 10:10 PM IST
Ranchi: The BJP, which spun a high-decibel narrative during the Jharkhand Assembly elections around Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has kept its star campaigner from the Northeast away from the heat and dust of Ghatsila byelections.
The move has raised eyebrows across political circles as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its list of 40 star campaigners for the high-stakes Ghatsila Assembly by-election.
The list of campaigners includes Union Ministers like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jual Oram, and Annapurna Devi, alongside former and current Chief Ministers from neighbouring states such as Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The roster also features heavyweights from Jharkhand like Arjun Munda, Raghuvar Das, and Babulal Marandi, as well as several prominent MPs. But Sarma, who played a pivotal role in BJP’s high-stakes election campaign just a year ago, is nowhere to be found.
This omission looks striking, especially considering that Sarma played a pivotal role as co-in-charge in the party’s last Jharkhand Assembly election campaign, and has been widely seen as the key architect of BJP's strategies in the region.
The central leadership's list includes heavyweight leaders like Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Jharkhand Chief Ministers Arjun Munda and Raghuvar Das, as well as Chief Ministers from Odisha and Chhattisgarh, ensuring a high-profile show of support for the Ghatshila by-election. However, Sarma’s absence, despite his prior involvement in key election campaigns in Jharkhand, has sparked questions about his current standing within the party.
Sarma’s absence from the campaign list cannot be viewed in isolation. His alleged role in the slow-paced probe into the death of the celebrated singer of Assam, Zubeen Garg, has snowballed into a major political issue with the opposition Congress and other parties.
In Assam, activist and president of Raijor Dal, Akhil Gogoi and other leaders have openly questioned Sarma’s handling of Zubeen Garg death mystery.
Why Ghatshila is important for BJP?
The Ghatshila by-election, viewed as a decisive contest for the BJP’s future in Jharkhand, is no ordinary poll for the party. State BJP media in-charge Shivpujan Pathak emphasised that the BJP’s push in this by-election is integral to its broader strategy for the region’s future. "This election is not just about Ghatshila, it’s a decision for the future of Jharkhand," Pathak said, highlighting the party’s commitment to winning the seat with the help of its heavyweights.
Alongside Chouhan and other Union Ministers, the BJP is relying on a strong mix of regional leadership, including former Chief Ministers and MPs like Arjun Munda, Raghuvar Das, and Laxmikant Vajpayee.
Sarma’s role in Jharkhand’s assembly polls narrative
When asked about Himanta's omission, Pathak said, "His name was not included because he runs a busy schedule." Notably, Himanta did not feature in the BJP's Bihar election star campaigner list either. Pathak couldn't even speak with certainty whether Himanta will feature in the last phase of the Bihar assembly polls campaign.
"Our party assigns roles for leaders after assessing various factors. Let's wait, he may be given the role of campaigner for the Bihar assembly elections," the BJP media in-charge said.
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