By PC Bureau
After a campaign marked by hate-filled speeches, fear-mongering, and promises of freebies, Jharkhand is set to hold the first phase of its Assembly elections on Wednesday. In this high-stakes contest, 683 candidates are competing across 43 constituencies, with 17 general seats, 20 reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and 6 for Scheduled Castes.
High-profile figures whose fates will be decided in this phase include former Chief Minister Champai Soren, Health Minister Banna Gupta, Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, Geeta Koda (wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda), and Purnima Das, the daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Raghubar Das. The 43 seats up for grabs span 15 districts, with East Singhbhum fielding the most at six seats, followed by five each in Palamu, West Singhbhum, and Ranchi districts. Koderma and Ramgarh each have just one seat in play.
Key Contests and Constituencies in Phase 1
Several critical matchups define this election phase, starting with Saraikela, where former Chief Minister Champai Soren is running as a BJP candidate after parting ways with JMM(S) in August. In Jamshedpur West, Congress’s Health Minister Banna Gupta is up against JD(U) veteran Saryu Roy, who famously defeated former Chief Minister Raghubar Das in 2019. Over in Jamshedpur East, Congress’s Ajoy Kumar will face BJP’s Purnima Das, daughter-in-law of Raghubar Das.
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In Jagannathpur, BJP’s Geeta Koda, wife of ex-Chief Minister Madhu Koda, is contesting against Congress candidate Sona Ram Sinku. Meanwhile, the Ranchi seat sees long-time BJP MLA CP Singh facing off with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji.
The Political Battleground: JMM vs. BJP
This election phase sees a pitched battle between the JMM-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and the BJP-led NDA. Of the 43 seats up for grabs, JMM is contesting 23, Congress 17, and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD five seats—two of which are against their alliance partners. Within the NDA, BJP is vying for 36 seats, Sudesh Mahto’s AJSU is contesting four, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) two, and Chirag Paswan’s LJP (R) one.
Polling Day Details
Polling begins at 7 AM across all 43 constituencies, with 15,344 polling stations set up statewide—12,716 in rural areas and 2,628 in urban centers. Most polling stations will close at 5 PM, except for 950 where voting ends an hour earlier at 4 PM. Voters in line at the closing hour will still be allowed to cast their ballots.
With 1,152 specially designated polling stations for seamless voting, Jharkhand braces for a pivotal electoral showdown. The stakes are high, and the outcome is anyone’s guess.
