Babulal Marandi

Babulal Marandi (born 1 January 1958) is an Indian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand after its formation in 2000. He is a tribal leader from the Santhal community and has been a prominent voice for indigenous rights in Indian politics. He is the president of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) party. Born in a poor tribal family in Jharkhand (then part of Bihar), Marandi struggled through extreme poverty to complete his education. He joined the BJP and was elected to the Lok Sabha multiple times from the Dumka constituency. When Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000, Marandi was chosen as the state's first Chief Minister. As the inaugural CM of Jharkhand, Marandi focused on establishing the basic governance infrastructure of the new state. He worked on tribal welfare, forest rights, and mining governance. However, he resigned as CM in 2003 due to differences with the central BJP leadership over governance issues. After leaving the BJP in 2006, Marandi formed the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) party. He continued to be a vocal advocate for tribal rights, forest dwellers' rights, and the protection of indigenous culture. He has consistently raised issues of displacement, land alienation, and the exploitation of tribal communities due to mining and industrialization in Jharkhand.