Jharkhand Assembly Polls: BJP Unveils First List Of 66 Candidates; Former CM Marandi To Contest From Dhanwar, Champai Soren From Saraikela

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday (19 October) announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections.

Among the 66 candidates announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party are former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders Champai Soren and Sita Soren, both of whom recently switched allegiance to the BJP.

Marandi will contest from the Dhanwar seat, with Champai Soren contesting from Saraikela and Sita Soren standing from Jamtara.

Champai Soren, a former close associate of JMM leader Hemant Soren, joined the BJP in August after resigning from the JMM.

Champai, whose brief 153-day tenure as Chief Minister ended on 4 July, said he was "humiliated" on his way out after Hemant Soren reassumed the role of Chief Minister after his release from jail, India Today reported.

Sita Soren, Hemant Soren's sister-in-law, was expelled from the JMM in May 2024 for her alleged involvement in "anti-party activities".

A three-term MLA, Sita has spoken about feeling "isolated" and "neglected" within the party since the death of her husband, Durga Soren, in 2009.

The BJP's list also features several prominent candidates: Neera Yadav from Koderma, Muniya Devi from Gandey, Tara Devi from Sindri, and Apnarna Sengupta from Nirsa.

Additionally, Ragini Singh will contest from Jharia, Geeta Balmuchu from Chaibasa, and Pushpa Devi Bhuiyan from Chhatarpur.

The elections for Jharkhand's 81-seat Assembly will take place in two phases on 13 and 20 November, with the vote count set for 23 November.

Earlier on Friday (18 October), the BJP-led NDA announced its seat-sharing arrangement for Jharkhand.

The BJP will field candidates in 68 seats, while the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest 10 seats.

JD(U) has been allotted two seats, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest one.

In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections, the JMM-led alliance secured 47 seats, with 30 seats going to the JMM and 16 to Congress. The BJP managed to win 25 seats.

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