LS Polls 2019: Jharkhand readies for its 4th parliamentary election; here is how it has voted since its formation

In the year 2004, when Jharkhand voted for the first time for Lok Sabha, after its creation, INC had topped the chart with 6 seats, while BJP had managed just one. However, as of now the scenario stands reversed with BJP holding 12 seats while Congress none.

BJP currently holds 12 Lok Sabha seats while JMM holds 2 seats in Jharkhand.

New Delhi: The East Indian state of Jharkhand is all set for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections - the fourth general election to be witnessed by the state ever since it came into existence in 2000.  The BJP-ruled state will undergo a four-phase election starting on April 29. The date of elections as announced by the EC for the state are April 29, May 26, may 12 and May 19. Jharkhand which has 14 parliamentary constituencies will see a contest mainly between Bharatiya Janata Party which swept the previous polls, and the Indian National Congress which will contest together with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Though Congress won no Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand in the previous polls, it managed to strike an alliance with state party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha which has agreed to contest the parliamentary polls under the Congress leadership. The Congress, in turn, agreed to contest Assembly elections under JMM leadership. Of the 14 seats that Jharkhand holds, eight are reserved for general, five for the scheduled tribe and one for scheduled caste. While BJP looks ahead to another power-packed performance, Congress will try to put up a tough fight and make a comeback in the state. In the 2014 general elections, BJP delivered an outstanding performance and won 12 out of the 14 seats,  five more than what it won in 2009.  Two seats were won by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. In the 2009 elections, BJP had bagged 7 seats in the state, while Indian national Congress could win only 1. Shibu Soren’s JMM clinched 2 seats, while 2 were bagged by Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM). Independent candidates won from the rest two seats. In the year 2004, when Jharkhand voted for the first time for Lok Sabha, after its creation,  INC had topped the chart with 6 seats, followed by JMM which won 4 seats. RJD had won 2 seats, while CPI and BJP were limited to 1 seat each. It will be an interesting watch to see how the resource-rich state votes this time, as JMM and Congress gear up for a tough fight against the BJP.