Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday said that the INDIA bloc, comprising the Congress and the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), will contest the upcoming state assembly elections together. Out of the 81 assembly segments, JMM and Congress will field candidates in 70 seats. The remaining 11 seats will be distributed after further discussions with other alliance partners, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties.
Seat-Sharing Still Under Negotiation
Speaking to reporters, Soren said, “We can’t go into the details of the seat-sharing right now. Our alliance partner is not here right now. When they are here, we will finalize the number of seats and other details.” Talks with the RJD and the Left, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation and the Marxist Coordination Committee (MMC), are ongoing for these remaining seats.
Jharkhand will hold its assembly elections in two phases, on November 13 and 20, with the vote counting scheduled for November 23.
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Changes in Seat Allocation
In the 2019 elections, the JMM contested 43 seats, while Congress fielded candidates in 31 seats. However, sources suggest that this time, Congress is likely to contest 27 to 28 seats, with the JMM increasing its share.
“Hemant Soren is a key face in Jharkhand, and the grand alliance will get votes based on his leadership,” sources said, indicating that the ruling party may push for a larger portion of the electoral pie.
The Left parties, CPI (M-L) and MMC, are also seeking to join forces with the JMM and Congress. As per reports, the RJD, which contested seven seats in the previous election, may reduce its claim to accommodate CPI (M-L) in Bagodar and MMC in Nirsa.
NDA Seat-Sharing Formula Announced
On the other side, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) revealed its seat-sharing arrangement for the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 68 seats, with its allies, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) taking 10, two, and one seat, respectively.
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BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo expressed confidence in the NDA’s strength, stating, “NDA is at its strongest in Jharkhand so far. It has never been in history that four parties have come together to fight the elections. We are ready to throw the corrupt government off the seat.”
2019 Poll Results
In the 2019 assembly polls, JMM won 30 of the 81 seats, Congress secured 16 seats, and RJD managed to win just one seat, forming a coalition government with a comfortable majority. In contrast, the BJP’s performance declined significantly, securing 25 seats, down from 37 in 2014. AJSU, contesting independently, won two seats.
