Kolkata) — The Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) is gearing up to enter West Bengal’s political arena by contesting the 2026 Assembly elections, with its campaign centred on the tribal-majority Jangalmahal region — spanning Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore, and Jhargram.
Party founder and Dumri MLA Jairam Kumar Mahato announced the decision at JLKM’s maiden political convention in Bengal. He urged party cadres to mobilise at the grassroots, stating that the number of seats to be contested would depend on an ongoing field survey.
Mahato accused the TMC-led government of decades-long neglect of Jangalmahal’s tribal communities and asserted that JLKM’s movement was rooted in both social and political empowerment, advocating for indigenous rights over land, forest, and water.
Once dominated by the Left Front and later influenced by Maoist groups, Jangalmahal shifted toward the TMC after 2011, before briefly turning saffron in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly polls. The TMC reclaimed much of its influence in the 2024 general elections, except in Purulia, where the BJP retained strength.