The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its first list of 66 candidates for the Jharkhand assembly elections. Former chief ministers, Babulal Marandi, and Champai Soren are among the candidates on the list.
Jharkhand BJP president, Marandi, will contest from Dhanwar, while Champai Soren and his son Babulal Soren will contest from Saraikella and Ghatshila respectively.
The former aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Champai, quit the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and joined the BJP in August.
Sita Soren, sister-in-law of Hemant Soren, will be contesting from Jamtara.
#WATCH | Former Jharkhand CM & BJP candidate from Saraikella Assembly seat, Champai Soren says, "The decision taken by the party is a good decision. In the coming elections, BJP's performance will be the best and our government will be formed. We are fully prepared...Whatever… pic.twitter.com/vUEglV3U42
— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2024
"The decision taken by the party is a good decision. In the coming elections, BJP's performance will be the best and our government will be formed. We are fully prepared," said Champai Soren.
Among other candidates include Geeta Koda, from Jaganathpur, and former union minister Sudarshan Bhagat, contesting from Gumla and Meera Munda from Potka constituency.
#WATCH | Jharkhand Assembly Elections | On getting candidature from Potka Assembly seat, Arjun Munda's wife Meera Munda says, "First of all I thank the election committee, the Prime Minister, the state president that they considered this ordinary worker worthy of this... I have… pic.twitter.com/0imUodm0Y4
— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2024
BJP on Friday announced that its candidates will be contesting in 68 seats.
The Jharkhand assembly elections are set to be held in two phases- Nov 13 and Nov 20.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday announced that INDIA bloc partners will contest 70 of the 81 seats for the upcoming assembly polls.
"It has been decided during the seat-sharing talks with the allies that the Congress and the JMM will field candidates in 70 of 81 seats," said Soren.
Also, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has expressed disappointment over the decision and termed it as "unilateral". RJD spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha said that they were not consulted before announcing the seats.
RJD has identified at least 15 to 18 seats in Jharkhand where it has the potential to defeat the BJP on its own.
The filing of nomination papers for 43 assembly constituencies of Jharkhand, going to polls in the first phase, will continue till October 25.
In 2019, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats in the Jharkhand assembly, including 30 of JMM and 16 of the Congress. While BJP secured 25 seats.
