The elections are shaping up to be a contest primarily between the ruling JMM and the BJP.
New Delhi: The Congress party in Jharkhand is hoping to grab more than half a dozen seats in the first phase of Assembly elections to be held on Wednesday, 13 November. The Congress is contesting 18 seats in the first phase. In the second phase on 20 November, the party will contest 11 seats. The state has 82 Assembly seats.
According to a party leader, “The Congress party may not win more than 10 Assembly seats in the elections. This is what the internal reports suggest. But most of these seats will be won in the first phase of the Assembly elections.”
The seats that the Congress is likely to win are Jamshedpur East, from where former state Congress president Ajoy Kumar is contesting, and Lohardaga, from where state Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon is candidate. Mandar, where Shipli Neha Tirkey is candidate is another seat. The Congress is strategically fielding experienced leaders to strengthen its position against the BJP and other opponents in the state.
In addition to that, the Jharkhand assembly elections are shaping up to be a tight contest primarily between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hemant Soren, the current Chief Minister and JMM leader, is a significant contender in the Barhait seat, while his brother Basant Soren is contesting in Dumka against BJP’s Sunil Soren. Both seats are key battlegrounds and have historically supported the JMM due to strong tribal voter bases.
Additional constituencies, such as Gandey, where Kalpana Soren (Hemant Soren’s wife) will run against BJP’s Muniya Devi, and Ranchi, a BJP stronghold with C.P. Singh as the incumbent, are also areas of intense focus. Each constituency brings its own local issues to the fore, such as poverty, unemployment, and tribal rights, which are central to the electoral discussions. The I.N.D.I.A bloc, comprising JMM, Congress, and RJD, aims to retain its majority, while the BJP is looking to make inroads by focusing on governance and development concerns.
Results will be announced on 23 November 2024.