RANCHI: The Bhartiya Janata party on Saturday announced the first list of 66 candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Party’s state chief Babulal Marandi will contest the elections from Dhanwar constituency while former JMM MLA, Lobin Hembrom will be contesting from Borio. Sita Soren will contest the election from Jamtara.
The former Chief Minister of Jharkhand Champai Soren has been nominated as the candidate from Saraikella, Geeta Balmuchu from Chaibasa, Geeta Koda from Jaganathpur and wife of Union Minister Arjun Munda, Meera Munda has been nominated from Potka.
Ragini Singh has been nominated from Jharia, Prunima Das Sahu from Jamshedpur east and Pushpa Devi Buiyan has been fielded from Chhatarpur.
Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections along with NDA allies; All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the party said on Friday.
According to the current agreement, AJSU will contest on 10 seats, JDU on 2 seats and LJP will contest the lone seat of Chatra, and BJP will contest on remaining 68 seats.
State BJP president Babulal Marandi, AJSU Chief Sudesh Mahato, along with Union Minister and election in-charge for Jharkhand, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and election co-incharge in Jharkhand, Himanta Biswa Sarma, addressed a joint press conference on Friday.
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the Jharkhand elections will be contested by NDA together.
“In Jharkhand, BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will contest the elections together. An agreement has also been reached on seat sharing and candidates will be announced soon,” Chouhan said.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma detailed the seats that will be contested by BJP’s allies AJSU, JDU and LJP.
“Discussions are going on regarding seat sharing. As of now, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest on 10 seats. Janata Dal (United) on 2 seats and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on one seat…There can be some adjustments on a few seats later, but this is the picture as of now,” Sarma said.
JMM-Congress to contest on 70 seats
Earlier the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday too announced that INDIA bloc will contest the Jharkhand Assembly polls together and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress will contest 70 of 81 seats in the state assembly.
Soren said the remaining seats will be contested by other parties of INDIA alliance and talks are underway with RJD and Left parties. Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is Congress in-charge of Jharkhand, was also present in the press conference.
“INDIA bloc will contest the Jharkhand Assembly polls together. It has been decided that 70 seats in the state will be contested by the JMM and Congress. The rest of the seats will be discussed upon further,” Soren said.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha as part of the UPA (United Progressive alliance) contested 43 seats, Congress contested 31 seats and the Rashtriya Janata Dal seven seats in the 81-member assembly. The UPA attained victory by winning 47 seats against BJP’s 25 seats.
Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Banna Gupta said that INDIA Alliance is doing its work smoothly and people will vote to continue the ruling coalition government in the state.
“Our in-charge, (state) president, CLP leader together sat down with INDIA Alliance team. Everything has become very systematic. There is no ‘if or but’ anywhere. INDIA Alliance is doing its work smoothly. We say this very confidently that people of Jharkhand will give a chance one again to the INDIA Alliance government led by Hemant Soren,” he said.
However, despite the assurance of the Congress leader, differences within the alliance surfaced openly after senior RJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha expressed dissatisfaction over the unilateral decision made by the Congress and the JMM to contest majority of the seat without consulting the RJD.
Speaking with the media in Ranchi the RJD leader said that “Congress and JMM unilaterally announced an alliance on 70 seats giving us only 5 seats, whereas in 2019 our candidates remained at number two on 5 seats.
“We are capable of contesting alone on more than a dozen seats in Jharkhand,” added the RJD leader.
The 81-seat Jharkhand Assembly is going to elections November 13 and 20. Votes will be counted in the two states on November 23. A total of 2.60 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in Jharkhand and there are 1.31 crore male and 1.29 crore female voters. The state has 11.84 lakh first-time voters (With inputs from ANI).
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