Jharkhand is set for a two-phase Assembly Elections to elect candidates in 81 constituencies across 24 districts in the state.
A total of 1,211 candidates are in the fray across 81 assembly constituencies, down from 1,216 candidates in the 2019 assembly polls. A total of 683 candidates are contesting in the first phase, whereas the fate of 528 candidates will be decided in the second phase.
The state has a total of 2.59 crore voters, with 1.31 crore male and 1.28 crore female electors. Out of the total 81 seats, 44 are general constituencies, 28 are reserved for scheduled tribes (ST), and nine for scheduled castes (SC).
Key Parties and Alliance In Jharkhand
The INDIA bloc is currently in power in Jharkhand, which consists of Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and the RJD.
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The NDA is in the opposition in the state, consisting of the BJP, JD(U), LJP and AJSU. There is also a third party- Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), led by Jairam Kumar Mahto, who has emerged as a popular leader in the past four years.
While the BJP has fielded candidates on 68 seats, JMM has fielded nominees on 43 seats, Congress on 30, AJSU on 10, RJD on 7 and JD(U) on 2 seats. JLKM has fielded its candidates on a total of 76 seats out of 81 seats in the state.
Women Candidates In Jharkhand
There are 128 candidates in fray in Jharkhand, including prominent faces like Kalpana Soren, Muniya Devi, Purnima Niraj Singh and Ragini Singh. In 2019, there were 127 women contesting in Jharkhand assembly polls.
However, there are 23 seats in the states where there are no women candidates. In the first phase, in 12 out of 43 seats, there are only male candidates in the fray, while there are 11 out of 38 such seats in the second phase.
2019 Assembly Election Results
In the last assembly polls in 2019, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won 47 seats whereas the BJP slipped 25 seats from 37 it held in 2014.
Despite losing the 2019 assembly polls in the state, Jharkhand has been a stronghold of the BJP where the saffron camp won 9 out of the 14 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Hemant Soren, Babulal Marandi & Champai Among Prominent Candidates
JMM chief and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren remains one of the most prominent faces in Jharkhand. Soren is contesting from Barhait seat this election. In 2019, Hemant Soren had contested from two seats — Barhait and Dumka — and had won both the seats. He left Dumka seat, from where his brother Basant Soren was later elected.
Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister of the state, remains one of the significant leaders in the fray. Marandi, who is currently the state president of the BJP, is contesting from Dhanwar seat.
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The next big face is Champai Soren who was the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for five months. The former JMM leader switched to BJP after he had to leave the chair following Hemant Soren’s release from jail. Champai Soren is contesting from Saraikela seat.
Among other prominent names in Jharkhand is CM Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren. When Hemant Soren was in jail, Kalpana Soren took over the party campaigning on behalf of her husband in the Lok Sabha elections. Kalpana Soren is fighting from the Gandey seat, where BJP’s Munia Devi is also contesting.
Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of Hemant Soren, is also among the prominent faces in the polls. She was expelled from the JMM in May this year for “anti-party activities”. A three-term MLA, Sita cited “isolation” and “neglect” by the party since the death of her husband Durga Soren in 2009.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly are scheduled to be held in two phases — November 13 and 20. The counting of the votes will be conducted on November 23.