Polling Begins for Jharkhand Assembly Elections Phase 1

Polling for the Jharkhand Assembly elections has commenced, with 43 out of 81 seats up for grabs in Phase 1 today. These constituencies are spread across the tribal-dominated South Chotanagpur, northern Palamu, and Kolhan regions.

Among these, 20 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), while six are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Notably, the seats of Chatra and Simaria lie in Jharkhand’s most underdeveloped district, also named Chatra.

The BJP has presented a 25-point manifesto, or Sankalp Patra, outlining its campaign promises. In contrast, the INDIA bloc has put forth seven key “guarantees,” focusing on areas such as education, domicile policy, social justice, food security, the Maiyya Samman Yojna, employment, and farmer welfare, taking cues from its campaign strategies in Karnataka and Telangana. 

In Kolhan, a known stronghold of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the BJP has made a significant commitment by pledging an exemption for tribals from the Uniform Civil Code, aiming for deeper outreach.

The INDIA bloc, leveraging its social justice platform, has promised reservations of 28% for tribals, 12% for Dalits, and 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), while ensuring protections for the state’s minority communities.

A key face-off is set in Seraikela, where former Chief Minister and BJP candidate Champai Soren is contesting against JMM’s Ganesh Mahali. Additionally, Champai Soren’s son, Babulal Soren, is running for the Ghatsila seat under the BJP banner against JMM’s Ram Das Soren, a current Jharkhand Cabinet minister. 

In Jaganathpur, former Congress Chief Minister Madhu Koda’s wife and ex-MP, Geeta Koda, contests on a BJP ticket against incumbent Congress MLA Sona Ram Sinku. Potka sees another major race as former BJP CM and ex-Union minister Arjun Munda’s wife, Meera Munda, battles sitting MLA Sanjib Sardar.

Simultaneously, bypolls are being conducted in several states, including Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. In Kerala’s Wayanad, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi is making her electoral debut.