Hemant Soren's JMM and Congress to contest 70 seats in Jharkhand elections

The INDIA bloc, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has announced plans to contest the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections together.

Soren confirmed that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress will field candidates in 70 of the state's 81 assembly segments.

The elections will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, with the vote count scheduled for November 23.

While the specifics of seat-sharing are still being negotiated with alliance partners like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties, Soren hinted that a final agreement would be reached soon. In the previous election, JMM contested 43 seats and Congress 31. This time, the Congress is expected to contest around 27 or 28 seats, with JMM likely to increase its share, given Hemant Soren’s strong leadership role in the state.

Sources indicate that both the Communist Party of India (M-L) and the Marxist Coordination Committee (MMC) are interested in joining the alliance. The RJD, which previously contested seven seats, may reduce its share to accommodate these new partners, potentially giving the Bagodar seat to CPI (M-L) and Nirsa to MMC.

This announcement follows the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unveiling its seat-sharing strategy for Jharkhand. The BJP will contest 68 seats, while its allies - the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) - will contest 10, two, and one seat(s), respectively.

In the 2019 elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, the Congress won 16, and the RJD claimed one. Together, they formed a coalition government. The BJP, which won 25 seats in 2019, down from 37 in 2014, is gearing up for a stronger fight this time, with leaders accusing the current government of corruption.