BJP Releases First List Of 52 Candidates For Jharkhand Polls

The BJP has announced a first list of 52 candidates ahead of state polls in Jharkhand that are scheduled to begin at the end of the month. The party has fielded Chief Minister Raghubar Das from the Jamshedpur (East) seat and Lakshman Gilua, chief of the state wing, will fight from Chakradharpur. BJP President JP Nadda, who released the list, declared that under Mr Das’s leadership the state had seen reduced corruption levels and had become known for stability and development.

“An atmosphere of positive cooperation is seen in Jharkhand. Raghuvar Dasji is getting support from all sections of the society. Changes have been seen in the last five years due to the BJP government, hence the support of the people has emerged,” Mr Nadda said today, adding, “Corruption has been prevented under the leadership of Ji. Due to this, the state is moving towards development”.

Meanwhile, the Congress has also released a first list – with five names. The party has fielded state Congress chief Rameshwar Oraon from Lohardaga constituency.

The Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) alliance is in the opposition in the state and has named JMM chief Hemant Soren as its chief ministerial candidate.

The opposition alliance has also announced a seat-sharing deal, handing 43 seats to the JMM, 31 to the Congress and seven to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav stayed away from the event, reportedly to meet his father Lalu Prasad Yadav at the Birsa Munda Central Jail.

Jharkhand elections will be held in five phases starting November 30. Results will be declared on December 23. The voting dates for the five phases are November 30, December 7, December 12, December 16 and December 20.

The election will be the third state poll since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to a massive win in Lok Sabha elections in April-May. It will also be the third BJP-ruled state to hold elections this year, following Maharashtra and Haryana, which voted on October 21.

The BJP, which currently rules the state in an alliance with the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU), will hope for better results than it recorded in Maharashtra and Haryana.

The party was widely expected to win both states by comfortable margins but suffered setbacks, winning fewer seats in each than it did in the last election, although it did emerge as the single-largest in each state. The party swept the state in Lok Sabha polls, winning 12 of 14 parliamentary seats. It has set itself a target of winning 65 of the 80 seats in the Assembly.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.