Jharkhand News: The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, marking a significant step in its electoral strategy. Notable candidates include Babulal Marandi, who will contest from the Dhanwar seat, and Champai Soren, representing Saraikela. This initial lineup sets the stage for a competitive election season as parties gear up for the polls.Key candidates in the runningThe BJP has fielded several prominent candidates, including Sita Soren from Jamtara and Neera Yadav from Kodarma. In Gandey, Muniya Devi will take the partys banner, while Tara Devi will contest from Sindri and Apnarna Sengupta in Nirsa. Additionally, Ragini Singh will represent the BJP in Jharia, Geeta Balmuchu in Chaibasa, and Pushpa Devi Bhuiyan will contest from Chhatarpur. These selections highlight the partys commitment to fielding strong contenders in various constituencies.BJP releases the first list of 66 candidates for the #JharkhandElection2024 pic.twitter.com/YJfTMHg6GI— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2024Election timeline and alliancesThe 81-member Jharkhand Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, with vote counting set for November 23. Recently, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced its seat-sharing formula: the BJP will contest 68 Assembly constituencies, while its allies—the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))—will contest 10 and 2 seats, respectively. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest one seat.In the previous 2019 Jharkhand assembly elections, the JMM-led alliance secured 47 seats—30 for the JMM and 16 for Congress—while the BJP won 25 seats. Currently, the assembly consists of 74 members, with the JMM-led coalition holding a majority of 44 seats.
