JD(U) will contest two seats and Chirag Paswan’s party one, says Assam CM and BJP’s co-in-charge for Jharkhand Himanta Biswa Sarma, adding that the NDA partners will declare candidates soon
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday annouced the seat-sharing arrangement for the Jharkhand Assembly election, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set to contest 68 seats, the All Jharkhand Students Union 10, the Janata Dal(U) two, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) one.
The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), led by Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, has been left out of the arrangement.
The announcement was made by Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Minister and BJP’s co-in -charge for Jharkhand election, at a joint press conference at the BJP office in Ranchi. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP State unit president Babulal Marandi, and AJSU president Sudhesh Mahato were present.
“We are contesting this election as NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi… There may be some changes according to the situation, but this is what we have discussed. Soon NDA partners will release the list of the candidates,” Mr. Sarma said.
The BJP has retained the Jamshedpur East seat, a party stronghold since 1995. JD(U) leader Saryu Roy was keen on contesting from the seat. A former BJP leader, Mr. Roy had won as an Independent from this seat in the 2019 Assembly election, defeating BJP leader and then Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Mr. Roy joined the JD (U) earlier this year.
Mr. Roy is likely to contest from Jamshedpur West, which he represented twice, in 2005 and 2014, as a BJP candidate.
The JD(U) will contest from Tamar and Jamshedpur West, and the LJP(RV) from Chatra. The AJSU will contest from Silli, Ramgarh, Gomia, Icchagarh, Mandu, Jugsalai, Dumri, Pakur, Lohardaga, and Manoharpur.
Attacking the Hemant Soren government, Mr. Marandi said, “The people of Jharkhand have faced a lot of difficulties, be it farmers, women, youth, and others. We only have the motive to develop Jharkhand and give social security to everyone. I remember that Hemant Soren had sworn on the name of his father that if he did not fulfil the promises he will retire. How can people trust a man who swore on the name of his father but did nothing. He has cheated the people of Jharkhand.”
Asked about the list of candidates, Mr. Sarma said, “Today, we have announced the seat-sharing [formula]. I hope that Central Election Committee will release the list of candidates, along with Maharashtra, by tomorrow or day after tomorrow.”