Jharkhand Elections: In the first phase of voting for 43 assembly seats in Jharkhand on November 13, a fierce contest is expected between the NDA and INDIA alliance. In the 2019 elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won 25 of these seats, while the BJP managed to secure only 13 seats.
Independent candidates won two seats, while the NCP and JVM secured one seat each. This time, the NDA is making every effort to improve its performance, while the INDIA alliance is focused on maintaining its position and attempting to gain additional seats.
In this phase, the reputation of former Chief Minister Champai Soren and six current ministers from Jharkhand’s government is at stake. Champai Soren, who joined the BJP just a month after being removed from the Chief Minister’s position, is contesting from his traditional seat of Seraikela in the Kolhan division, where he has been elected as MLA six times. Since 1991, in the seven elections held, he has only faced defeat once in 2000.
Jharkhand Elections: Champai Soren Emerges as BJP’s Major Face
In the Jharkhand elections, Champai Soren is the BJP’s prominent face. He is facing a direct contest from Ganesh Mahali of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Ganesh Mahali was the BJP’s candidate in the last two elections.
The key difference in this match is that both candidates have switched parties. Champai Soren is one of the major faces the BJP has put forward in the Jharkhand elections.
Dr. Rameshwar Oraon Faces Tough Contest in Lohardaga as BJP-AJSU Unite
In the Hemant Soren government, Congress minister Dr. Rameshwar Oraon is facing a direct contest for the Lohardaga seat from Neeru Shanti Bhagat of the AJSU Party. In the previous election, both the BJP and AJSU fielded separate candidates, which directly benefited Dr. Rameshwar Oraon. This time, with BJP and AJSU having merged, it doesn’t seem easy for Dr. Oraon to retain his seat.
Minister Mithilesh Thakur is contesting from the Garhwa assembly seat, where there is a triangular contest this time. He is facing strong challenges from BJP’s Satyendra Nath Tiwari and the Samajwadi Party’s candidate, former minister Girinath Singh. Both of them have previously been elected from this seat and hold significant influence in the area.
Tough Battle in Jamshedpur West
In the Jamshedpur West seat, Congress minister Banna Gupta is facing a direct contest against former minister Saryu Rai of the JD(U). Both have won this seat twice. In the previous election, Saryu Roy switched to contest the Jamshedpur East seat as an independent candidate, where he caused a political stir by defeating then-Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
In Chaibasa, JMM minister Deepak Birua is being challenged by BJP’s Geeta Balmuchu. Although this is Geeta’s first time as a BJP candidate. Her continuous involvement in social and political activities has made her a well-known figure in the region.
683 Candidates Contesting in Jharkhand Elections
Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar has stated that a total of 683 candidates are in the fray. Among them, 609 are men, 73 are women, and one is from the third gender.
Out of the 43 seats, 17 are general, 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and 6 are reserved for Scheduled Castes.
