Rise of Annapurna Devi: From Lalu’s close aide to key player in Team Modi

Ranchi: The induction of 51-year-old Annapurna Devi, a first-time MP from Koderma in the Narendra Modi cabinet could surprise many other aspirants and leaders in the saffron camp in Jharkhand, but political experts maintained that the move is in view of consolidating OBC vote bank, which forms a major chunk after the tribals, for BJP’s mission 2024.
Though the BJP had decimated the UPA in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by winning 12 out of 14 parliamentary seats, six months down the line, the saffron party was thrown out of power in the Assembly elections that year, despite offering the state its first stable government for a full five-year term.One of the key reasons for the party’s rout during the 2019 Assembly elections was division of OBC votes due to the split between BJP and its long-time ally, AJSU-P. Both the parties fought separately and suffered major setbacks in OBC pockets.
“While the Scheduled Tribes (STs) constitute 26.2 per cent, OBCs constitute about 46.1 per cent of the Jharkhand population, according to 2011 Census. Though we had an OBC chief minister (Raghubar Das) between 2014 and 2019, the BJP failed to consolidate that chunk in favour of the party despite ruling for a full five years. After Raghubar Das’s own defeat in the Assembly election and party being out of power, the BJP is in need of a strong OBC face for its political endeavours. That is the sole reason why of all MPs, Annapurnaji’s induction could be possible,” remarked a senior party leader and an MLA on condition of anonymity.
Another BJP worker added that following today’s development, the BJP has addressed two big vote banks — tribals and OBCs.
“While former chief minister and Khunti MP Arjun Munda has already been a Union minister in the current Modi government, Annapurna’s entry testifies that the party is working to strengthen its other grey pockets in this state to woo Yadavs, Kurmis, and the likes among OBCs. Also, a message has been sent out that Jharkhand is an important state for the BJP as part of its consolidation in the East,” he said.
Annapurna entered the BJP right ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, deserting the RJD, of which she was also the state president. Her entry into the politics occurred after the death of her husband Ramesh Prasad Yadav in 1998 who was then a minister in the RJD government led by Rabri Devi in undivided Bihar. Since then, she went on to represent Koderma Assembly seat four times on an RJD ticket and became one of the long-time close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.
The BJP’s decision to field her from Koderma parliamentary seat stood vindicated after she won by a vast margin of over 4 lakh votes against stalwart Babulal Marandi (now defunct JVM-P). Since then, there wasn’t any looking back for her, even though she always remained low-profile within the state unit, said many. She went on to successfully cultivate great equations with the central leadership, mainly with national president J.P. Nadda and Bhupinder Yadav, who was in-charge of Jharkhand affairs and has also been inducted into the Union cabinet today.
“Her immediate escalation as the national vice-president of the BJP months after her joining was a testimony to the party’s faith in her. She was later also made the co-in-charge of Haryana and was assigned to take care of Bihar during the Assembly elections along areas bordering Jharkhand. The NDA managed to win a good number of seats in her command areas,” said an insider, adding that her entry into Team Modi may not be a good omen for ex-chief minister Raghubar Das now.
“It was he (Das) who brought her to the party before Lok Sabha election to clinch Koderma. Later, Das lost his seat in the Assembly elections. Following Annapurna’s induction into the cabinet, whatever little aspirations or chances, he (Das) was nursing to lobby for a berth as part of political rehabilitation, is over for the time being. If the BJP high command wanted, it could have easily roped in Das for a central role by giving him a Rajya Sabha ticket from any safe place,” he said.
On the latest induct, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “The entire state BJP thanks PM and party high command for the fresh induction, that too a woman. This proves that any dedicated party worker can rise through the ranks with his or her work. Presence of two MPs in Modi government will certainly help in overall development of the state.”