On Saturday evening, the BJP released its first list of 66 candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand elections, featuring veteran leader Babulal Marandi, a former chief minister, and Champai Soren, Hemant Soren’s former aide and also a former chief minister. Champai Soren will contest alongside his son in the elections.
The announcement follows Hemant Soren’s declaration that the Congress and the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will field candidates in 70 of the 81 assembly segments.
The BJP plans to contest 68 seats, with allies including the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (10 seats), Janata Dal (U) (2 seats), and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (1 seat).
In the candidate list, Mr. Marandi, who is the Jharkhand BJP president, will run from Dhanwar, while Champai Soren and his son Babulal Soren will contest from Saraikella and Ghatshila, respectively. Additionally, Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has been nominated by the BJP to contest from Jamtara.
This strategic move highlights the BJP’s efforts to strengthen its presence in Jharkhand ahead of the elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially released its list of 66 candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections. Notable candidates include: Dhanwar- Babulal Marandi, Rajmahal- Anant Ojha, Borio (ST)- Lobin Hembrom, Litipara (ST)-Babudhan Murmu, Maheshpur- Navneet Hembrom, Shikaripara (ST)- Paritosh Soren, Nala- Madhav Chandra Mahto, Jamtara- Sita Soren, Dumka (ST)- Sunil Soren, Jama (ST)- Suresh Murmu, Jarmundi- Devendra Kunwar, Madhupur-Ganga Narayan Singh, Sarath- Randhir Kumar Singh, Deoghar (SC)- Narayan Das, Poreyahat- Devendranath Singh, Godda- Amit Kumar Mandal, Mahagama- Ashok Kumar Bhagat, Kodarma- Neera Yadav, Barkatha- Amit Kumar Yadav, Barhi- Manoj Yadav, Barkagaon- Roshan Lal Choudhary, Hazaribagh- Pradeep Prasad, Simaria (SC)- Ujjwal Das, Bagodar- Nagendra Mahto, Jamua (SC)- Manju Devi, Gandey- Muniya Devi, Giridih- Nirbhay Kumar Shahabadi, Bermo- Ravindra Pandey, Bokaro- Biranchi Narayan, Chandankiyari (SC)- Amar Kumar Bauri, Sindri- Tara Devi, Nirsa- Aparna Sengupta, Dhanbad- Raj Sinha, Jharia- Ragini Singh, Baghmara- Shatrughan Mahto, Baharagora- Dineshanand Goswami, Ghatshila (ST)- Babulal Soren, Potka (ST)- Meera Munda, Jamshedpur East- Purnima Das Sahu, Saraikella (ST)- Champai Soren, Chaibasa (ST)- Geeta Balmuchu, Majhgaon (ST)- Barkunwar Gagrai, Jaganathpur (ST)- Geeta Koda, Chakradharpur (ST)-Shashibhushan Samad, Kharsawan (ST)- Sonaram Bodra, Torpa (ST)- Koche Munda, Khunti (ST)- Nilkanth Singh Munda, Khijri (ST)- Ram Kumar Pahan, Ranchi- C.P. Singh, Hatia- Navin Jaiswal, Kanke (SC)- Jitu Charan Ram, Mandar (ST)- Sunny Toppo, Sisai (ST)- Arun Oraon, Gumla (ST)- Sudarshan Bhagat, Bishunpur (ST)- Sameer Oraon, Simdega (ST)- Shradhanand Besra, Kolebira (ST)- Sujan Jojo, Manika (ST)- Harikrishna Singh, Latehar (SC)- Prakash Ram, Panki- Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta, Daltonganj- Alok Kumar Chaurasiya, Bishrampur- Ramachandra Chandravanshi, Chhatarpur (SC)- Pushpa Devi Bhuiyan, Hussainabad- Kamlesh Kumar Singh, Garhwa- Satyendra Nath Tiwari, Bhawanathpur- Bhanu Pratap Shahi
The BJP’s candidate announcement comes on the heels of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) finalizing its seat-sharing arrangements for the elections. The party aims to contest 68 seats in total, with its allies participating in various constituencies.
The elections for the 81-member Jharkhand assembly are set to take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
