Jharkhand elections 2024: BJP releases first list with 66 names, fields state party chief Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar, ex-CM Champai Soren from Saraikella

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The elections are scheduled to take place in two phases, on November 13 and 20.

The BJP unveiled its first list of 66 candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections on Saturday. The party has fielded its state president, Babulal Marandi, from Dhanwar, and former Chief Minister Champai Soren from Saraikela. Among the notable names is Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and JMM leader, who has been selected to contest from Jamtara.

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Also featured in the list are Geeta Kora and former Union minister Sudarshan Bhagat. The assembly polls are set to be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23. The BJP will contest 68 of the 81 assembly seats, with the remaining reserved for its allies.

Babulal Marandi, who had secured the Dhanwar seat in Giridih in 2019 as a candidate of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is now contesting under the BJP banner. He won the 2019 election by a margin of 17,550 votes, defeating Lakshman Prasad Singh of the BJP.

भाजपा केन्द्रीय चुनाव समिति ने होने वाले झारखण्ड विधानसभा चुनाव 2024 के लिए निम्नलिखित नामों पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की है। pic.twitter.com/onqghIJeGV

— BJP JHARKHAND (@BJP4Jharkhand) October 19, 2024

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Champai Soren, who had previously represented Seraikela for the JMM, joined the BJP in late August after citing dissatisfaction with the JMM’s leadership. His entry into the BJP has been seen as a strategic move to bolster the party’s support among the Scheduled Tribes, traditionally a JMM stronghold. Soren briefly served as chief minister earlier this year following Hemant Soren’s resignation amidst legal troubles, but stepped down in July, allowing Hemant Soren to return to office after securing bail.

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Geeta Kora, who had been the lone Congress MP in Jharkhand, joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but was defeated by JMM’s Joba Majhi in Singhbhum by a significant margin of 1.68 lakh votes.

With the two-phase elections approaching, the BJP is seeking to unseat the JMM-led alliance and regain power in the state.

With inputs from PTI