Jharkhand Election 2024: The first phase of voting for 43 Assembly seats in Jharkhand is set to take place on Wednesday, November 13, with a fierce contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA Bloc. This phase will be crucial as both alliances seek to strengthen their hold over the state.


In the 2019 elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance secured 25 of these 43 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed only 13. The remaining seats were split among Independents (2), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (1), and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) (1). This time, the NDA aims to improve its tally, while the INDIA Bloc seeks to consolidate its previous gains and expand its footprint.


Jharkhand Election 2024, Phase 1: Key Candidates And Seats In Fray


There are 683 candidates, including 609 men, 73 women, and one person from the third gender, competing for 43 seats.


Six ministers and several prominent leaders are in the fray in this phase. Among them is former Chief Minister Champai Soren, who, after joining the BJP just a month after being ousted from the Chief Minister’s office, is contesting from his traditional stronghold in Saraikela. Soren has won this seat six times since 1991, only facing defeat in 2000. This time, he faces a direct battle with Ganesh Mahali of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), who was previously the BJP candidate. So, interestingly both contenders have switched sides.


In Lohardaga, Rameshwar Oraon, a Congress Minister in the Hemant Soren government, is up against Neeru Shanti Bhagat of the AJSU Party. In 2019, a split in votes between BJP and AJSU candidates benefited Oraon, but with the BJP-AJSU united this time, Oraon faces a tougher challenge.


Garhwa constituency sees a triangular contest, with Minister Mithilesh Thakur defending his seat against BJP’s Satyendra Nath Tiwari and Samajwadi Party’s former Minister Girinath Singh, both of whom have previously been MLAs from this constituency.


On the Jamshedpur West seat, Congress Minister Banna Gupta is in a direct contest with former Minister Saryu Rai of the Janata Dal (United) (JDU). Rai, who famously defeated then-Chief Minister Raghubar Das in the 2019 elections from Jamshedpur East, has now returned to his former stronghold.


In Chaibasa, JMM Minister Deepak Birua faces BJP’s Geeta Balmuchu, a first-time candidate who has gained significant local traction due to her active social and political engagement.


JMM MLA and Minister Ramdas Soren is contesting the Ghatsila seat against Babulal Soren, son of former CM Champai Soren, running as a BJP candidate. This is Babulal’s electoral debut, with his father's political capital backing him.


The Latehar seat is witnessing a high-stakes rivalry between JMM minister Baidyanath Ram and BJP's Prakash Ram. Voters here have traditionally changed their MLA every election cycle. The question remains whether Baidyanath can break this pattern and secure consecutive wins.


In Ranchi, former Speaker and BJP minister C.P. Singh is up against JMM’s Dr. Mahua Maji, a Rajya Sabha MP.


In Potka, BJP’s Meera Munda, wife of former CM Arjun Munda, is challenging sitting JMM MLA Sanjeev Sardar. The Jaganathpur seat sees a battle between Geeta Koda, wife of former CM Madhu Koda, and Congress MLA Sona Ram Sinku.


In Jamshedpur East, Congress spokesperson and former IPS officer Ajay Kumar is fighting against BJP’s Purnima Das Sahu, the daughter-in-law of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. BJP rebel candidate Shivshankar Singh is also in the fray, adding a third angle to the contest.


ALSO READ | Jharkhand Polls: From Barhait To Saraikela — Know About Key Constituencies Witnessing High Stakes Battles


Jharkhand Election 2024, Phase 1: Infiltration, Tribal Rights, Corruption Emerge As Campaign Themes


Monday marked the end of campaigning for the 43 seats, with star campaigners from both the NDA and INDIA Bloc crisscrossing the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among those canvassing for the NDA. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also campaigned for their party nominees. 


Since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, authorities have seized illegal material and cash worth Rs 179.14 crore. A total of 54 cases have been registered for violations of the Model Code of Conduct.


Both the NDA and INDIA bloc are pulling out all stops to ensure victory, with the NDA focusing on issues such as "infiltration, corruption, and scams," while the INDIA bloc is concentrating on tribal rights and welfare, claiming harassment. 


Prime Minister Modi conducted a major roadshow in Ranchi on Sunday, which attracted large crowds. Senior BJP leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP’s election co-in-charge, also took part in the campaigning. 


On the other side, JMM executive president and state Chief Minister Hemant Soren, along with his wife and JMM legislator Kalpana Soren, addressed multiple rallies.


Key factors influencing the election include the BJP's central welfare schemes and the arrest and subsequent bail of Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to an alleged land fraud. The ruling alliance claims the arrest was politically motivated. 


Jharkhand Election 2024: 1.37 Crore Out Of 2.60 Crore Electors Set To Vote In Phase 1


According to Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar, a total of 1.37 crore voters out of the 2.60 crore eligible are set to vote on November 13, news agency PTI reported. 


A total of 15,344 polling stations have been set up, including 12,716 in rural areas and 2,628 in urban areas. As part of the state’s effort to ensure a smooth voting process, polling personnel were sent to 194 stations on Monday, with the remaining 31 polling stations being covered on Tuesday. Voting will take place from 7 am to 5 pm, though in 950 booths, the voting will end at 4 pm. However, anyone standing in the queue at 4 pm will still be allowed to vote. 


Women will be responsible for the voting process in 1,152 polling stations, and 24 booths will be manned by handicapped people. 


Currently, the assembly has 74 members, with the JMM-led ruling alliance comprising 44 members, including 26 from JMM, 17 from Congress, and one from RJD.