Ranchi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced its first list of 66 candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections. Among the 66 nominees, 11 are women, reflecting the party’s emphasis on female representation. The list also includes several prominent names, including former Lok Sabha candidates and family members of former Chief Ministers.
The party has given tickets to four candidates who previously contested and lost in the Lok Sabha elections, signalling a bid for redemption in the state polls. Notably, Sita Soren will contest from Jamtara, while Samir Oraon has been fielded from Bishnupur. Sudarshan Bhagat will contest from Gumla, and Geeta Koda has been nominated for Jagannathpur.
Former Chief Minister Champai Soren will run from Seraikela, while his son, Baboolal Soren, has been given a ticket for Ghatsila. Another former CM, Arjun Munda’s wife, Meera Munda, will contest from Potka, and former CM Raghubar Das’s daughter-in-law, Purnima Das Sahu, has been fielded from Jamshedpur East.
Other key figures include Dineshanand Goswami, former ABVP national president and ex-Jharkhand BJP president, who will contest from Baharagora, and former IPS officer Arun Oraon, who has been nominated for the Sisai constituency.
The BJP announced its candidates a day after finalising its seat-sharing arrangement with allies for the upcoming election. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has divided the 81-seat assembly: BJP will contest 68 seats, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest 10, the Janata Dal (United) two, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) one seat.
The Election Commission has scheduled the Jharkhand Assembly elections to be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, with vote counting to take place on November 23.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance secured a majority with 47 seats, including 30 for JMM and 16 for Congress. BJP managed to win 25 seats, while other parties, including AJSU and independents, claimed the remaining seats.