Filing of nominations ends as Jharkhand readies for elections

The nomination process for the second and final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections ended on Tuesday, setting the stage for a direct contest between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition, even as the former continued to hold discussions to resolve issues on seat-sharing.

Voting for the 81-member assembly will be held in two phases. The first phase (43 seats) will be held on November 13 and the second (38 seats) will be held on November 20. The results will be declared on November 23. The last day to file the nominations for the first phase was October 25 and withdrawal of candidature is October 30. On the other hand, Tuesday was the last date to file nominations for the second phase and candidates will be allowed to pull out of the race till November 1.

While the official data on the number of nominations that were filed will be available on Wednesday, Congress’s Sweta Singh from Bokaro, Ajay Dubey from Dhanbad, and BJP’s Gamliyel Hembrom, who is contesting against Hemant Soren from Barhait, Navneet Hembrom from Maheshpur and Paritosh Soren from Littipara were among those who filed their papers.

A polling official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said nominations of 743 candidates were accepted during scrutiny for the first phase of the elections.

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“During the scrutiny, the nominations of 62 aspirants were rejected. Altogether 743 candidates are in the fray after the scrutiny. Candidates can withdraw their names by Wednesday,” the official said.

Barkagaon, Jamshedpur West and Hatia assembly constituencies registered the highest number of candidates at 28, while Kharswan recorded the lowest at 10, the official said.

The ruling JMM is supported by the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the state. The CPI(ML) joined the alliance this year. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement for this year’s polls, the JMM will contest on 43 seats, the Congress 30, the RJD seven and the CPI(ML) four. To be sure, the allies are holding a “friendly contest” on three seats, as per discussions so far.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has also finalised its seat-sharing deal, with the BJP announcing that it will fight on 68 out of 81 seats. As far as its allies are concerned, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will fight on 10 seats, the Janata Dal (United) two and the Lok Janshakti Party - Ram Vilas one.

While the NDA appears to be have sorted out its seat-sharing arrangement, the ruling alliance is headed for a “friendly fight” on three seats – the Congress and RJD on Bishrampur and Chhatarpur seats in Palamu division, and the JMM and the CPI-ML on Dhanwar seat in North Chotanagpur division.

CPI(ML) state secretary Manoj Bhakt said his party tried to convince the JMM to leave the Dhanwar seat. “We tried our best to arrive at an amicable solution but then decided to have a friendly fight. Our candidate Raj Kumar Yadav will continue to be in the fray in Dhanwar,” he said.

Dhanwar is a key seats where state BJP chief Babulal Marandi, who is also one of the top contenders for the chief minister’s post, is seeking a re-election.

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said: “Both parties had laid their claims as both our candidates are former MLAs from the seat… But the momentum is with the ruling alliance and we will win the seat.”

The RJD and Congress have found themselves in a similar situation in Bishrampur and Chhatarpur seats in Palamu division.

RJD general secretary Kailash Yadav blamed the Congress for the deadlock. “We had already announced the candidate for Bishrampur, which was swapped with Chhatarpur. But the Congress named its candidate in Bishrampur as well. So, we announced a candidate in Chhatarpur which we had earlier left for them,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti said Bishrampur is a traditional seat of the party and it was decided that the seat would remain with them. “Bishrampur is a Congress stronghold. We still have one day left for withdrawal. Discussions are on. We still hope for an amicable settlement,” Shanti said.

In 2019, the JMM, Congress, and RJD contested in a pre-poll alliance, distributing 43, 31, and seven seats, respectively. The alliance secured a comfortable majority with 47 seats, with JMM winning 30, Congress 16, and RJD one seat.

That year, the BJP fought alone, contesting 79 seats and winning 25. The AJSU party contested 53 seats and won two. The AJSU party returned to the NDA fold during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.