Field is set for election battle in Jharkhand; BJP to take on JMM

NEW DELHI: With the completion of the nomination process, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are ready for a direct face-off in the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Voting will be held in 43 seats in the first phase on November 13 and in 38 seats in the second phase on November 20. According to the NDA seat arrangement, BJP will contest 68 seats, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) 10 seats, JDU 2 seats, and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 1 seat. In the INDIA alliance, JMM will contest 41 seats, Congress 30 seats, RJD 6 seats and CPI (M-L) 4 seats.

There are 685 candidates in the first phase and 634 in the second phase. Former Chief Minister Champai Soren will contest as the BJP candidate in Saraikela. JMM's Rajya Sabha member Mahua Maji in Mahua, six-time BJP MLA CP Singh in Ranchi, and Odisha Governor and former Chief Minister Raghubar Das's daughter-in-law Purnima Das Sahu in Jamshedpur East. Voting for these constituencies will take place in the first phase.

The fate of Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Barhait), his wife Kalpana Soren (Gandey), his brother Basant Soren (Dumka), BJP state president Babulal Marandi (Dhanwar), and AJSU president Sudesh Mahto (Silli) will be decided in the second phase.

In Jharkhand, out of 81 constituencies across 24 districts, only 44 are general constituencies. The remaining seats are reserved, with 28 for Scheduled Tribes and 9 for Scheduled Castes. In the 2019 elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance won 47 seats to form the government.