On Wednesday at 7 AM, voting for the first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections kicked off across 43 seats. Out of the 15,344 polling stations, voting in 950 locations will run from 7 AM until 4 PM, while 11 constituencies will extend voting until 5 PM. These include high-profile areas such as Koderma, Barkatha, Barhi, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Majhgaon, Ranchi, Hatia, Panki, and Bhawanathpur.
Prominent Leaders Compete in Key Battlegrounds
Several prominent leaders are vying for seats in this phase, including former Chief Minister Champai Soren, ex-CM Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda, and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji. The contest between the NDA and the INDIA Bloc promises to be intense. In the 2019 elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance captured 25 of these seats, while the BJP took 13. Independents and smaller parties claimed the remaining seats. This year, the NDA aims to improve its performance, while the INDIA Bloc seeks to expand its gains from the last election.
Stakes High for Six Ministers and Influential Leaders
With the prestige of six ministers and several prominent leaders on the line, each contest has become significant. For instance, Champai Soren, recently joining the BJP after losing his Chief Ministerial position, is contesting from his long-held Saraikela seat, where he faces JMM’s Ganesh Mahali, a former BJP candidate. Both have switched party affiliations, intensifying this direct face-off.
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In Lohardaga, Congress Minister Rameshwar Oraon defends his seat against Neeru Shanti Bhagat of the AJSU Party. With the BJP and AJSU united this time, Oraon’s battle has grown tougher, compared to the split opposition in 2019 that benefited him.
Triangular Contest in Garhwa and Key Battles in Jamshedpur, Chaibasa
In Garhwa, a triangular contest sees Minister Mithilesh Thakur, from the ruling coalition, up against BJP’s Satyendra Nath Tiwari and former Minister Girinath Singh of the Samajwadi Party. In Jamshedpur West, Congress Minister Banna Gupta faces JD-U’s Saryu Rai, who previously defeated then-Chief Minister Raghubar Das in the neighboring Jamshedpur East seat.
In Chaibasa, JMM Minister Deepak Birua battles BJP’s Geeta Balmuchu, a first-time candidate who has gained local popularity through active social and political work.
Key Contests in Ranchi, Potka, and Jaganathpur
The Ranchi constituency witnesses a high-stakes face-off between BJP’s C.P. Singh, a former Speaker and Minister, and JMM’s Dr. Mahua Maji, a current Rajya Sabha MP. In Potka, BJP’s Meera Munda, wife of ex-Chief Minister Arjun Munda, challenges sitting JMM MLA Sanjeev Sardar.
Jaganathpur showcases a contest between Geeta Koda, wife of former CM Madhu Koda, and Congress MLA Sona Ram Sinku.
High-Profile Contest in Jamshedpur East
In Jamshedpur East, Congress spokesperson and former IPS officer Ajay Kumar takes on BJP’s Purnima Das Sahu, daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. Adding another dimension, BJP rebel Shivshankar Singh also joins the fray, making this a three-way contest.
With fierce battles and strategic alliances in place, this phase of the Jharkhand elections sets the stage for a competitive electoral showdown that will shape the state’s political landscape.
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