The Central Election Commission has officially announced the schedule for the Jharkhand Assembly elections, which will be conducted in two phases on November 13 and 20. The votes will be counted on November 23. Political parties in the state are intensifying their campaigns, with alliances being solidified on both sides.
On the heels of the NDA’s seat-sharing announcement, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren made a key announcement regarding the seat adjustment within the Indian alliance. Soren confirmed that the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress party will contest 70 of the 81 assembly seats. However, he stopped short of revealing whether the JMM and Congress will contest in seats under the National Electoral Commission (NEC), stating that an official announcement will follow soon, alongside leaders of other allied parties.
The JMM-Congress alliance is poised to take on the BJP in the upcoming elections, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD) and Left parties also part of the “India” alliance. Negotiations continue, with the remaining 11 seats likely to be distributed among these smaller partners. JMM’s strong position could allow them to contest more seats than they did in the previous election, where they fielded candidates in 43 constituencies, while Congress contested 31. Speculation suggests that Congress might now be allocated between 27 and 28 seats.
Parties such as the Communist Party of India (ML) and the Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) are also considering joining the JMM-Congress coalition, indicating a broader alliance to challenge the BJP. In the last assembly elections, RJD contested in seven seats, but they are expected to relinquish one or two seats to strengthen the alliance’s prospects.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has already finalized its seat-sharing deal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 68 seats, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will field candidates in 10, while Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will contest two and one seat(s), respectively.
In the 2019 elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, Congress 16, and RJD 1, forming a coalition government. The BJP, which won 25 seats, has seen a decline from its 37-seat strength in 2014, making this election a crucial contest in Jharkhand’s political landscape.
With the polls approaching, both alliances are gearing up for a fierce battle, as the final seat adjustments pave the way for what could be a highly competitive electoral showdown.
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