JMM attacks ECI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), led by Hemant Soren, has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that it is acting as a puppet for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The accusations come just ahead of a press conference scheduled by the ECI on October 15, where election dates for Maharashtra and Jharkhand are expected to be announced.Allegations of Election Commission being impartial JMM leader Manoj Pandey raised concerns that BJP leaders had prior knowledge of the election dates. Pandey stated, We are always ready for elections, but BJP leaders were informed about the dates on October 14 itself, a day before the official announcement. This raises serious questions about the impartiality of the Election Commission. Is it functioning under BJPs influencePandey further referred to a statement made by Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP leader and Chief Minister of Assam, who reportedly mentioned the election date announcement in advance. It is alarming to see the Election Commission being used as a puppet by BJP leaders in such a blatant manner, he added.Jharkhand Assembly ElectionsElections in Jharkhand are to be held across 81 assembly seats, with 9 reserved for the SC community and 28 for the ST community. The current tenure of the Jharkhand Assembly will expire on January 5, 2025. The ECIs press conference, expected to announce the election dates, will take place in Delhi at 3:30 pm.BJP expresses confidence of poll outcome in Jharkhand Responding to the accusations, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari dismissed the claims and expressed confidence in the partys prospects. The BJP and NDA are fully prepared for elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Like in Haryana, we are confident that a BJP-led government will be elected in Maharashtra. The people of Jharkhand are disillusioned with Hemant Sorens vote-bank politics and corruption, and they want a pro-development, pro-tribal government under BJPs leadership, Bhandari stated.The Election Commission had previously reviewed election preparations in Jharkhand on September 24, signaling that the process for upcoming polls is well underway. The last assembly election in Jharkhand took place in December 2019, held in five phases.
