Jharkhand Assembly Polls 2024: Voting Underway For 43 Seats In First Phase Of Voting; Former CM Champai Soren Among Key Candidates

The first phase of polling for Jharkhand Assembly elections is underway today (13 November), with voting taking place across 43 out of the state's 81 assembly seats.

The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has fielded 23 candidates for this phase of Jharkhand elections, with allies Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are contesting on 17 and five seats respectively.

The Opposition BJP has fielded 36 candidates, Janata Dal United (JDU) two and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party seven candidates.

Notable candidates in this phase include former Chief Minister Champai Soren and his son Babulal Soren, Meera Munda, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda's wife Meera Munda, Madhu Koda's wife Geeta Koda and Raghuvar Das's daughter-in-law Purnima Sahu.

The JMM-led coalition is seeking a second term, largely banking on welfare initiatives like the Maiyan Samman Yojana.

Meanwhile, the NDA has promised a stop to infiltration and corruption by the Grand Alliance government, pointing to the arrest of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a corruption case.

The BJP's key promises include "driving out infiltrators," implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Rs 2,100 per month to every woman, and 5 lakh employment opportunities for the youth.

The NDA’s campaign in Jharkhand has been led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is being supported by several prominent leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In the 2019 elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, while the BJP saw a drop, winning only 25 seats compared to 37 in 2014.

The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority, securing 47 seats in total in 2019.

The second phase of elections will be held on 20 November while the votes will be counted on 23 November.

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