Jharkhand polls: Congress-JMM to contest 70 of 81 seats
The Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), both members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has announced its plan for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections. Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the coalition will contest 70 of the 81 assembly seats. The remaining 11 seats are still being discussed with other alliance partners, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties.
JMM-Congress-RJD coalition's past performance and current standings
In the 2019 assembly elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition had won 47 out of 81 seats to secure a majority. Currently, JMM is the largest party in Jharkhand with 30 members in the state assembly. The Congress has 16 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 25 MLAs. The Election Commission of India has scheduled voting for Jharkhand's assembly elections on November 13 and November 20, with vote counting set for November 23.
Rahul Gandhi's visit to Ranchi and Congress's candidate list
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, flew to Ranchi to attend the "Samvidhan Samman Sammelan" on Saturday. Gandhi's visit is to "spread a message of love to unite the nation" and speak for marginalized communities, Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahai said. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir said Congress's first list of candidates will be released after October 19.
NDA's seat-sharing plan and BJP's criticism of Soren's government
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has also announced its seat-sharing formula for the upcoming elections. The BJP will contest 68 seats, while its allies—All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)—will contest the rest. "NDA is at its strongest in Jharkhand so far. It has never been in history that four parties have come together to fight the elections....We are ready to throw the corrupt government off the seat," said BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo.
